Newfound Hope
by cheeky-chaos
Summary: A broken SG-1 goes through the gate and finds some new friends...and hope. Crossover with Star Trek: Voyager. WARNING: major character death. Author's Note: It does get happy, I promise! NOW COMPLETE!
1. Part One

Author's Note: Some people have been asking about certain characters from Stargate: SG-1. I just wanted to say that this begins as a very dark story. 4 of the major characters within the SGC are dead. I don't want to say who right here, because I want you to find out through the story. It's all explained in chapter to I promise. ~Cheeky.  
  
NEWFOUND HOPE:  
  
General Peterson looked at the man sitting in the mess hall. His booted  
feet rested on the table and were crossed at the ankles. He was reading  
a thin-looking report and sipping a cup of coffee every now and then.  
  
His close-cropped hair had gone silver, but his face was still handsome  
and relatively unlined – despite the painful looking scar that ran down  
the left side of his face. He was lean, but well muscled and there was  
no extra ounce of fat on him. In fact, he looked as if he could use a  
good meal or two.  
  
Many of the other personnel in the mess hall kept glancing furtively at  
the man, as if they expected him to do something strange at any moment.  
The room was subdued and almost everyone spoke in low voices or whispers.  
Just like it was when any member of SG-1 was nearby – but the man seemed  
oblivious. But General Peterson couldn't blame them. Jack and his team  
lived on the edge – and they even made him nervous.  
  
Squaring his shoulders, and before he was spotted hovering in the  
shadows, the General walked into the hall. Eyes turned to watch him, but  
he resolutely walked up to the man. "Colonel O'Neill?" he said.  
  
Colonel Jack O'Neill looked up from the report he was reading and waited  
expectantly. He hardly said a word anymore. The General stifled the  
urge to swallow nervously, as those cold brown eyes bore into his. They  
seemed to hold a coldness from inside that froze the blood, and a pain so  
immense you could not bare to look into them for long. But the scariest  
part of that stare was the way they were almost soulless, as if the man  
behind them was dead.  
  
General Peterson had met the Colonel once, many years ago, just before  
the Gulf War. Back then, the Colonel had been a man with a sarcastic  
sense of humor and an uncanny way of seeing right to the core of people.  
The man in front of him now was almost completely different from the one  
he had met. The Colonel no longer shared his sarcastic wit, nor did he  
share much at all. He was cold and unfeeling and deadly. As if the only  
thing he felt was pain.  
  
"You have a briefing at 0800 hours tomorrow." The General said, jerking  
himself back to the present. "Make sure your team is there."  
  
Jack nodded once, and returned to the report. The General turned and  
walked out of the mess hall. He never expected more than a nod from the  
Colonel. He just wondered – and not for the first time – how it was that  
his team seemed to know what he wanted without him saying anything.  
  
* * *  
  
Jack soon gave up reading the report in the hall. There was nothing in it he didn't already know. He felt everyone's eyes on him as he left the hall, and heard a sigh of relief follow him out. He knew they were scared of him; that they found him arrogant and cold, unfeeling. But he didn't care. He was cold and unfeeling – because inside he was dead.  
  
His world was filled with pain. Inside him was an emptiness that could never be filled and a pain that could never be dulled. The only thing that made it bearable was his friendship with Daniel. It was the one thing that hadn't been taken from him. Daniel understood his pain – because he felt it himself.  
  
Just like him, Daniel's world was filled with pain. He had known loss just like Jack. He knew what the emptiness and pain felt like. He understood. And that was one thing that kept him living.  
  
Jack entered a large room towards the back of the SGC. It was a plain room, with drab green walls and a concrete floor. His team had covered most of the floor with a large black mat that was soft enough to train on, and various pieces of gym equipment dotted the room. Two large punching bags hung in the back corners.  
  
But the room was as impersonal as a hospital corridor. The room was empty of everything that made it more than just a room. That made it somewhere to live. Jack liked it better that way, and so did the rest of his team. There were only two exceptions to this: the metal cabinet on the right wall that contained almost every weapon that you could imagine, and the words scrawled in black above the door. "Death is just an illusion."  
  
Jack's teammates were scattered around the room, doing what they always did when they were waiting for the next mission: training. Daniel was on the bench press, his shoulder-length brown hair tied back in its usual ponytail. His black singlet stuck to his muscular body, and his skin shone with sweat.  
  
A petite woman with short, spiky white hair was doing sit-ups on the mat. She, too, wore a black singlet and the earring in her right ear glinted in the dull light. Her skin was tanned, making her white hair even more shocking, and her silver eyes were narrowed in concentration.  
  
The final member of Jack's team was at the back of the room, working with one of the bags. Riley was dressed like all the others in green BDU's, except she was barefoot and only wore a sports bra instead of a singlet. Her dark red hair hung down her back in a long plait, and she glanced at Jack with her piercing green eyes once, before returning to the bag.  
  
The room was filled with the familiar smell of sweat and stale air. Loud thumps from the bag, the odd clink of metal on metal and an occasional grunt were the only sounds. Jack dumped the report next to a stack of files near the door, as Daniel sat up on the bench press. "When?" he asked.  
  
"0800 hours." Jack replied as he took of his jacket, revealing his black T- shirt.  
  
Daniel nodded, and grabbed his towel and water bottle from the floor. He watched Jack while he dried his face. Then he walked to the back of the room and began wrapping his fists in black cloth. When he was done, he began working with the other punching bag, his thumps acting like a counter point to Riley's.  
  
Jack found an empty spot on the mat and began to stretch. He was just beginning a series of one armed push ups when another man entered the room. The man wore dusty brown clothes that looked alien in the middle of the SGC. And they were, because they were not from Earth.  
  
"Jack." The man said. "The General said I'd find you here."  
  
Jack looked up at the man, but continued his push ups. "Jacob." He greeted.  
  
Jacob Cater, the Tok'ra companion of Selmac and former Air Force General studied him. "You're not eating." He said.  
  
Jack grunted. "Nothing to eat." He replied.  
  
Jacob nodded at Jack's cryptic answer. He knew SG-1 had just got back from an extended mission on a rather barren planet. He also knew they had run into a Goa'uld patrol, but that wasn't what he was worried about. Jack seemed to get leaner every time Jacob saw him. He never ate or slept unless he absolutely had to. But then neither did the rest of the team.  
  
Jacob shook his head, and let the subject drop for now. He would make sure Jack ate something later. "I'll be staying for the briefing, and then coming with you through the gate." He said.  
  
"The base?" Daniel asked from the corner.  
  
"No." Jacob said. "An uninhabited planet. The rest of my team will be waiting there to meet you. We'll go from there to the base."  
  
Daniel nodded. The base was a small Goa'uld encampment in a nearby system that one of the System Lords wanted to turn into a permanent base. The Tok'ra wanted to stop him. It was a dangerous task, which was why SG-1 would be leading the charge. SG-1 were the team you sent in if the odds were bad – mainly because they didn't care if they lived or died.  
  
Jacob watched in silence as SG-1 continued to train. A minute later he turned and walked away, pain reflected in his eyes. He knew how Jack felt; how they all felt. And if it wasn't for Selmac and the Tok'ra, he knew he would be just like them – dead on the inside. 


	2. Part Two

JACK:  
  
"Jack." Her voice said softly in the darkness.  
  
I felt her turn and, her body pressing up against mine. Her hand slid over my chest and I felt her lips brush my shoulder ever so softly. "What are you thinking?" she asked.  
  
I turned to the sound of her voice and tightened my arm around her waist. "I can't let you do this, Sam." I said.  
  
"Jack." She said, her voice taking on a stubbornness that I had learned to admire, even when I was ready to scream with frustration. "I'm only leaving the Air Force, not the SGC. I want to be with you, Jack."  
  
My resistance melted, even though I had never had much to begin with. My selfish heart wanted to hang onto her forever, rules and regulations be damned. "I just don't want you to do something you'll regret."  
  
"I'd regret not giving myself a chance to live the rest of my life with you, more than I'd ever regret leaving the Air Force." Her soft words made my heart swell in my chest.  
  
"I love you, Sam." I whispered.  
  
"I know." She whispered back. "I love you too, Jack."  
  
Suddenly the room began to change as my memories crashed into one another. Darkness became light. I looked down in growing horror. Sam lay in my lap while blood seeped out from beneath my hands that were tightly pressed against her chest. I felt as if someone had stabbed me in the heart.  
  
She lay there, looking like a beautiful angel, while her life spilled out from beneath my hands. "Hang on, baby. Hang on." I said.  
  
She smiled faintly. "I love you, Jack." She whispered.  
  
"I love you too." But it was too late. She was gone.  
  
Tears fell down my face as I stood up. I could hear the clanking footsteps of Jaffa coming nearer and nearer. With Sam's blood still on my hands, I curled my fist around the grip of my gun. I saw Teal'c's still body lying near Sam's and felt another stab of pain go through my heart. He was dead.  
  
Daniel looked up at me from where he was huddled, a look of intense pain on his face that I felt mirrored in my own. He carefully laid Janet's hand back beside her looked sadly at the bodies of the three other medical personnel that were lying dead beside her. He stood up beside me, Sam's P- 90 clasped in one of his hands, his Beretta clasped in the other.  
  
He looked at me and understood. Nothing mattered anymore. Only killing those bastards. I drew my other gun and we moved out into the corridor and saw the surprised look of the Jaffa patrol. We opened fire, walking slowly and steadily towards them until the were all dead.  
  
My sight blurred once more and with it came the memory of intense pain . . .  
  
"Jack." Said a soft voice. "Jack."  
  
My eyes flew open and I jerked into a sitting position. I blinked into the darkness and felt the sweat on my feverish skin. The blankets of my bed were a twisted mass beneath me and my heart was pounding. A faint light clicked on, and I squinted as I turned towards it. I recognised the room as my shared quarters within the SGC. I lived here now.  
  
Reality crashed down on me once more and I felt the usual weight settle on my heart. I looked over at Daniel, who had turned on the light. He was sitting on his bed, with his head against the headboard and his knees pulled up against his chest. He opened his haunted blue eyes and looked at me. "You were struggling again." He said.  
  
I nodded and swung my feet onto the floor. The concrete was cold beneath my feet. I looked at Daniel. He looked terrible. His eyes had deep purple shadows beneath them and I knew he hadn't been sleeping. But then even I found sleeping hard.  
  
Daniel's hair had grown to his shoulders and he wore it tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He never wore his glasses anymore and had a nasty looking scar running down the left side of his face - a mirror of mine. Daniel was also more muscular now than he had been before and he knew how to fight and shoot. And he knew what it was like to kill with no thought at all.  
  
I sighed softly. Sometimes I longed for the days when Danny was the serious and concerned archaeologist he had been - and Sam and Teal'c were still alive. I longed for his innocence and the happiness I had felt when my heart had been whole.  
  
I shook my head and stood up. That was the past and it was not going to change no matter how hard I wished. My green combat pants and black singlet were rumpled, but I didn't care. I ran a hand through my hair and noticed absently that it needed a cut again. "I'm going to the gym." I said.  
  
Daniel opened his eyes and looked at me again. "I'll come with you."  
  
He got to his feet with an easy grace he hadn't had before, and grabbed two black cloth strips off the nightstand. "Let's go." I said.  
  
* * *  
  
Three hours later, I was doing one armed push-ups on the floor, sweat dripping from my body. I could hear Daniel punching the bag in the background. I was exhausted, but I kept going, because I knew I wouldn't get any sleep yet.  
  
At that moment, the door opened and I looked up into a pair of cold green eyes. I nodded to the woman who entered and she nodded in return. I sat up and watched her cross the room to the weights. She, too, moved with the easy grace of a fighter.  
  
Her name was Josephine Riley. She was a Lieutenant Colonel thanks to her heroic deeds against the Goa'uld. But in reality she was just like me. She had only attacked the Goa'uld like she had because she no longer cared about the risks. Riley had lost her husband and unborn child to Goa'uld torturers.  
  
Riley's dark red hair was in it's usual braid down her back and she wore a pair of baggy black shorts ad a grey singlet that revealed muscular arms and legs covered in jagged and curving scars.  
  
When Daniel saw her, he stopped punching and pushed his wet hair out of his face. "You got the time, Riley?" he asked.  
  
"5am." She said in her rough voice.  
  
Daniel shook his head. "When do we have to be in the briefing room?" he asked.  
  
"0800." I answered, my voice hoarse from exhaustion and lack of use.  
  
"I'm going to have a shower." Daniel said.  
  
I nodded. Daniel walked from the room as Riley lay down on the bench press. "Sir?" she asked. "Can I get some help?"  
  
I nodded and got to my feet, walking over to stand at her head, watching. Riley was an attractive woman, but there was a coldness about her that made most people avoid her. I think it's her cold green eyes. Whatever it was, it never bothered me. But then people avoided me, too.  
  
When Riley was done, I helped her ease the weights back into place. They settled with a click. Riley rolled to her feet in a quick fluid movement. She looked at me with a slight frown. "Sleeping pills work." She said.  
  
I nodded. The new doc - Martin, I think his name is - feeds them to me from time to time. But if I take them, I can't see her face in my dreams. And while it's always painful, I'd rather live with that pain for the rest of my life, than never see her face again.  
  
I looked at Riley and saw her cold eyes soften for a second. "I know." She said softly. "It feels like betrayal, doesn't it?"  
  
I nodded again, not trusting my voice. I watched Riley's eyes harden again. "I'll see you in the briefing room, sir."  
  
I struggled, but managed to lock my memories and feelings away again. It was the way it was between us - and all of my team. We all understood the pain, but we never spoke of it, not really. Because we were all afraid that once we let it out, the pain would never stop.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant." I said, and walked out to find a shower. 


	3. Part Three

DANIEL:  
  
"The attack will take place during the planets dark hours, which should last for approximately eight hours." Jacob briefed the assembled teams. "That means we have to be fast."  
  
"How do we get to the planet without detection, sir?" Major David, CO of SG- 3, asked.  
  
"Each team will gate to a different world, where a Tok'ra team will pick you up in a cargo ship." Jacob explained. "But SG-1 will be going straight through the gate to the planet."  
  
"Directly through the gate, sir?" The leader of SG-5 asked.  
  
"No. They'll gate in from another planet." General Peterson broke in. "They will provide a frontal assault that will distract the Goa'uld."  
  
The leaders of SG-5, SG-3 and SG-6 turned and looked at us. Jack was sitting like he usually did, slumped in his chair, while Riley sat next to him. The other member of our team, Mia, sat on my right. I know what we looked like to them. Cold and unfeeling. Our expressions would not show a thing, and they never would. None of us cared if we lived or died, and they knew that.  
  
"What's the plan once we get there?" Major David asked.  
  
"Each team will be assigned a specific target to destroy." Jacob said. "And each team will be escorted by members of the Tok'ra. Once you've destroyed your target, you are to get out."  
  
General Peterson quickly outlined the targets and the route each team was to take - and then the briefing was over. "Sg-1, please remain." He added as he dismissed the others.  
  
I watched the General nod at Jacob, before he turned to us. "Sg-1." The General began. "You target is the temple that will house the Goa'uld and First Prime who are overseeing the construction of the base. You'll be equipped with enough C4 to destroy it, but there is a large chance you will not come back from this."  
  
"It doesn't matter." Jack said in his hoarse voice. "As long as we take the snakes with us."  
  
"Jack . . . " Jacob began.  
  
"He's right." I added. "As long as the Goa'uld die, we'll do this."  
  
The General looked sadly at us. "Then you have a go."  
  
The briefing wasn't so strange. The missions we went on were always dangerous, and there was always a large chance we wouldn't come back. None of the team cared, but the General always looked sad, as if he kept hoping we'll become human again.  
  
We all get up and leave, returning to that room we know so well. The room where we train and live. The room where our hearts bleed and our memories strike. Our own hell and our own sanctuary.  
  
I read the black words above the door and feel them echo through my heart. "Death is just an illusion." And it is. I've died so many times, only to wake up in a sarcophagus and have the pain start all over again until you die. I've watched Jack die so many times, only to see him again when I next wake. Many people say, death is the only constant in our lives. But they're wrong. Death is only an illusion. Pain is the reality.  
  
I watched the rest of the team strip off and slowly pull on our off-world uniform. It's not green anymore, but black. Black like our hearts. Jack is looking thinner everyday, and I know he's slowly killing his body. But then so are we all. I notice that someone has left food near the weapons locker, and silently thank whoever it was. Not because I want to eat, but because I need to so I can fight.  
  
I changed into my BDU's and, as always, remember what it was like before. To watch Sam and Teal'c arm with us, and to here Jack joking around. He never jokes anymore. We used to be part of the best team the SGC had. The flagship team - the one the Goa'uld feared most.  
  
We are still feared most be the Goa'uld, just like we still have the highest kill rate of all the teams. But instead of exploring and defending our planet, we now spend our time searching for the Goa'uld and seeing how many we can kill before they kill us.  
  
I finished tying my boot lace and looked up. Jack was efficiently checking one of his automatics. He carried three, just like I did - one strapped to each leg and one holstered in the small of his back. He also carried a large Special Forces knife at his belt and another in his boot. Jack also carried the regular assault weapon we were assigned.  
  
Riley was only wearing a black vest as she strapped two long knives to her forearms. Riley liked her knives and was very good with them. I had seen her efficiently gut a man without breaking a sweat. She had other knives hidden all over her body. Riley was a hard person to disarm.  
  
Mia was standing next to Riley. She was a small, delicate looking woman with an amazing physical strength and a toughness that went beyond that. She was belting a large curved sword to her back - it was her weapon of choice. And while she could use a gun, and carried one, just as well as the rest of us, when that sword was in her hand, she was almost twice as dangerous. She fought because she was the only member of her clan left. The Goa'uld had killed all the others.  
  
I shrugged my shoulders and began buckling my black vest. It was standard issue for all teams who went off-world and contained everything you could need. Spare ammo, grenades, C4 and detonators, trackers and a backup radio. I checked my guns and slid them into their holsters, before checking the knives I always carried. I was ready.  
  
As the others finished up, I walked over to the food and grabbed a sandwich. It felt like a tasteless lump in my mouth and slid down my throat like some weird gloop. But I kept eating because I knew I would need it. The rest of the team also grabbed some food, and then we left for the gateroom. No one said anything.  
  
We watched in silence as the gate address was dialed and the chevrons locked. Jacob came to join us in the room, and the gate opened. Jacob stepped forward. "Ready?" he asked.  
  
Jack nodded. "Let's go."  
  
Jack walked up the ramp, followed closely by Jacob. Riley looked at me, and started after them. I took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm the nerves in my stomach. It sounds strange, I know, but I still get nervous before a mission. I might not really care if I lived or died, but I still got nervous. I suppose that means I didn't really want to die, deep down, but I ignored the logic and thought. I just didn't want to think about what something like that would mean.  
  
I jogged up the ramp to join the rest of my team as Mia brought up the rear. I stepped through the gate and was greeted by the usual feeling as if I were stuck on a rollercoaster in the middle of a snow storm. I stepped out onto an arid planet, with brown sand as far as the eye could see.  
  
The wormhole closed behind us, and I followed Mia down the stairs of the platform. Jacob was already greeting the people waiting. There were four men of differing ethnic backgrounds, and I remember a time when that simple fact would have fascinated me. "SG-1," Jacob said. "This is Chen, host to Maltec, Lilka host to Freta and Bren host to Nelim."  
  
The three Tok'ra nodded in greeting. "Friends, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lieutenant Colonel Josephine Riley and Ria Mor'anth." He introduced.  
  
I nodded to the Tok'ra and noticed the appraising glances I received. SG-1 was already a legend amongst many of those who fought the Goa'uld. We were responsible for many Goa'uld deaths in a short time. And we managed to do it through inferior technology and very little knowledge of what's out there - although we are getting better.  
  
I waited for the disappointment to hit the gazes of the Tok'ra when they saw that we were not the great team we once had been. Unlike Jack I knew we would never be as good as we had been with Sam and Teal'c. Not because we couldn't fight without them - although I will always miss them fighting by my side - but because when they died, they took part of us with them. The part that made us want to fight for freedom and the right to live - not simply fighting to kill.  
  
When I looked away, I saw Jacob was already at the DHD, and he wasted no time in dialing the gate address. He looked at us before he pressed the large red button in the center. "You'll have fifteen minutes to get into position before the other teams arrive." He said. "Don't kill anyone until then."  
  
Jack nodded curtly and watched as the new wormhole formed in a rush of blue 'water'. He headed straight for the gate, only pausing briefly to let Jacob pass him and step through the gate. The rest of us followed and we I tightened my grip on my P-90.  
  
I could feel the slow burn of rage in the pit of my stomach and my body began to react to it. My muscles tensed and my brain seemed to begin to work faster. I knew it was probably the response the higher adrenaline levels, but whatever the cause, the result was the same. I was ready to fight . . . and ready to kill.  
  
I felt a cold grin stretch across my face and stepped through the stargate. 'Here we come.' I thought.  
  
Author's Note: The crossover with Voyager is coming soon, probably in one chapter or so. And thanks to everyone for the reviews! ~Cheeky. 


	4. Part Four

RILEY:  
  
It didn't take long for my eyes to adjust to the darkness once I stepped out the gate. I stayed low to the ground and crept over to where the Colonel was kneeling beside Jacob, carefully concealed behind some bushes.  
  
Strangely there was no Jaffa guard at the gate like I had expected. I crouched down beside Jacob and breathed in his ear. "Where are the Jaffa?"  
  
"There is a Tok'ra spy amongst the minor Goa'uld here. He made sure there was no guard." Jacob answered.  
  
I nodded. Daniel and Mia crouched down beside me, and I saw movement where the other Tok'ra crouched behind us. We were all alert, watching for danger, and hands on our weapons. Jack looked at me and gave a series of complex hand movements that I could read just as well as if he had said the words in English. Time to move out.  
  
As he moved, I fanned out to the left, my senses on alert for anything that could mean the enemy. So far all was quiet. Daniel, Jacob, Bren and Mia fanned out across the other side of the gate and disappeared into the woods on the other side. Jack soon lead the rest of us into the woods on this side of the gate.  
  
We crept through the woods for about ten minutes, until they ended and we came into view of a large stone wall surrounding an elaborate temple, although it still looked half finished. Jack motioned for us to fall back, and we slipped into the shadows to wait.  
  
A tense five minutes past as I waited, crouched amongst the alien vegetation. I began to feel the anger grow in my head as I got closer to the Goa'uld, and I ruthlessly suppressed it. Rage helped me fight, but I couldn't afford to let it take over - because then I really would end up dead. And I wanted to take a lot more Goa'uld with me before that happened.  
  
At a signal from Jacob, Jack gave us a series of hand movements, and darted off to the right. I kept my cover as one of the Tok'ra came up beside me. Just as he did, I turned to see Daniel and Mia break out of hiding too. "I'll take the north side with the Colonel. You take the east. Jacob will meet up with you there."  
  
Chen nodded, and I broke cover and headed to where Jack was crouched by the wall. Jack signalled to me and then to Daniel and Mia, who were crouched against the wall on the other side of a pair of large doors. I nodded curtly and stood, gun held at the ready.  
  
I looked about and saw the shadows of large buildings in the distance, but after that I ignored them. Destroying the temple was our mission - the other teams had their own. Jack took a position beside me, just as a cargo ship flew over head. Sounds of chaos filled the air from inside the compound and the doors opened. We opened fire and the Jaffa who came running out dropped like flies.  
  
Behind us, I could hear the sound of the Tok'ra helping us, but from now on it was up to us. The Tok'ra would keep our retreat open for us if they could, but our main goal was to destroy the temple - along with all those inside it.  
  
I followed Jack as he ran into the compound, vaguely aware of the pounding footsteps of Daniel and Mia. I fired my gun as we ran up the stairs to the main doors of the temple. I veered left once we were inside, dodging staff blasts as best as I could. I slammed my body suddenly against a wall, barely dodging a staff blast.  
  
I ran down a corridor, my footsteps echoing around me. I knew from the briefing that Daniel, Mia and Jack all had different targets to lay their explosives. I sprinted down the corridor, slipping into a spare room to avoid another lot of Jaffa. I didn't fight them, because I knew I would probably have to fight them on the way out, and I didn't want them to know I was here - yet.  
  
I managed to get past the Goa'uld patrols quite easily, and soon ended up at my target. Laying the C4 didn't take long, and just before I set the timer, I checked my watch. 30 seconds until the others were supposed to be in position. "Riley?" a voice said softly in my ear.  
  
We were using headsets for communication, similar to those worn by the Special Forces. "Sir." I replied. "I'm in position."  
  
"Daniel?" Jack asked.  
  
"I'm ready." I heard Daniel reply.  
  
"Mia?"  
  
"In position."  
  
"In ten seconds." Jack ordered.  
  
I looked at my watch as the numbers counted down . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . I pushed the arming button on the detonator as Jack whispered "Now!" in my ear. The red numbers on the small clock began counting downwards. I had two minutes to get out of here before the building would explode.  
  
I got up and began running as silently as I could down the stone corridor of the temple. I passed the half finished, but excessively decorated rooms and couldn't keep a cold smile off my face. This 'temple' would soon be just a big pile of dust.  
  
When I began to hear clanking footsteps coming in my direction, I hesitated and looked around, but there were no hiding places. I glanced quickly around the corner, from where I was hiding and saw a patrol of Jaffa, helmets down, coming steadily towards me. I looked back down the corridor, but I knew I would not get around the corner in time.  
  
I breathed deeply, and heard the stucco of gunfire coming from another part of the temple. It seems I was not the only one running into Jaffa patrols. I gripped the grip of my P-90 tighter, and swung out into the corridor. Five Jaffa faced me, and I pulled the trigger, causing two of them to fall as I ducked back around the corner. Staff blasts hit the stone where I had just been, and bounced of the floor.  
  
I waited for a pause before swinging around again and shooting two more of the Jaffa. The remaining one turned and began running up the corridor, firing blasts behind him, but I just stood their calmly and pulled the trigger. He fell.  
  
I checked around me to make sure the Jaffa were all dead and there were none left. I was totally calm. It's like I have this little bubble around me, and no fear or anger or excitement can get to me. I'm completely calm and I don't feel anything. The whole building could blow up around me, and I wouldn't feel anything.  
  
I began running down the corridor again and carefully checked around each corner. I took a second to look at my watch. 50 seconds. Damn. I had to hurry. I finally made it to the entrance without meeting anymore patrols and I wondered why. I soon got my answer.  
  
When I ran out through the doors, one of the shadowy buildings on my left exploded and I could hear gunfire and staff blasts all around me. The Jaffa seemed to be few and far between because of the combined attack of all the SG teams. I slipped into the shadows and looked around. I could see no one.  
  
"Sir?" I said into my headset. "I'm out."  
  
"Find Jacob and meet us at the rendezvous." Jack ordered.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
I crouched low and began to move slowly through the sparse bushes that offered cover. I made it to the edge of the forest in which we had been hiding before. I looked around again, but saw no one. I moved further into the darkness and waited a second before my eyes adjusted to the darkness. When they did, I saw a dark shape moving towards me. "Jacob?" I asked.  
  
Jacob nodded when he was close enough for me to see him. "Chen and Bran are waiting for Jack and Mia on the other side." He said.  
  
It was at that moment that the temple blew up. The sound of the explosion deafened me for a minute, and I had to shut my eyes against the bright light. The C4 blew a large fire ball up into the sky, and flattened the surrounding wall. When my eyes cleared of the white dots and I could see again, all that was left of the temple was a pile of rumble and a few dead bodies.  
  
"Let's go." Jacob said.  
  
I nodded and the two of us started back to the gate. We moved quite quickly through the forest, but I kept an extra eye out for Jaffa. We were just getting in sight of the other end of the forest, and a waiting Lilka and Daniel, when a large blast hit the ground not far from my feet.  
  
I threw myself into a roll, and came up in a crouch, my gun already pointed in front of me. Another blast hit about a meter away, and I looked up to find a pair of gliders above me. I shook my head to clear my ears. They were obviously still a little deafened because I should have been able to hear those gliders before they were on us.  
  
The gliders turned, bringing themselves around for another attack and I ran over to Jacob and Daniel. "What are we going to do?" Daniel asked me.  
  
I was saved from an answer by the Colonel. "Hold position." He said over the headsets. "I don't think they know we're here. They're just trying to flush out the woods to see if anyone is here."  
  
"Yes sir." I said.  
  
So the four of us crouched behind the bushes and watched the gliders swing back around. They passed over the woods again, shooting at the dense parts of the forest and missing us where we were crouched at the edge. The Colonel seemed to be right, but then he usually was.  
  
I peered down at the stargate and saw it was guarded by about ten Jaffa. They were all in battle armour and stood in a semi circle around the gate, their staff weapons held in front of them. It wouldn't be easy getting through them to the gate, particularly with the gliders flying over us all the time.  
  
"The next time the gliders pass over us, I want everyone to attack - Riley and I will provide cover fire." Jack said. After a tiny pause, he yelled. "Go!"  
  
I opened fire on the Jaffa as the others broke cover. Mia and Daniel managed to take out three before they got there, and the Tok'ra took out another two. I covered them as best as I could, while trying not to hit my friends. I could here the gliders coming back around, and saw them blast the area around the gate. As they did, I saw one of the Tok'ra fall.  
  
"Riley." Jack said. "Go!"  
  
I didn't bother to reply as I broke cover and ran down to the gate. I shot one of the Jaffa, while Jack took out another one. The gliders turned and began another pass, shooting as they came. One of the blasts almost struck me, but I rolled forward and swung around, firing at one of the gliders as they flew away, trusting one of the others to get my back.  
  
The gliders turned and I continued firing, and the glider I was firing at suddenly lost control and hit the ground in another explosion. But just before I could turn around, one of the Jaffa hooked his staff around my neck, and dragged my backwards against him, trying to strangle me.  
  
I sucked in as much air as I could and through my hands up to my neck, trying to dislodge the staff. I kicked backwards, but the Jaffa's armour protected him from my blows. Just as I was beginning to desperately need air again, his grip on the staff weapon slackened, and I ducked and spun.  
  
I saw Jack standing over the now slumped body of the Jaffa, a large knife sticking out of his back. I shot him a few times for good measure. Jack nodded at me. "Check the perimeter." He said.  
  
"Yes sir." I said and turned again, but there were no more Jaffa near us. The glider was a short way off still, but it was coming every closer. As I watched, two more gliders joined him. "Sir." I said. "Three gliders coming in at two' o'clock."  
  
As I said the words I heard the gate engage behind me. "Jacob, get your injured men out of here!" Jack ordered.  
  
I heard the soft sound of someone passing through the gate a few seconds later. I began to pull back, getting closer to the gate. I heard another person go through the gate and then another. The gliders were in shooting range now, and I turned, not bothering to watch them anymore.  
  
I saw Jack turn with me. The Tok'ra were already gone. "Move!" Jack yelled as bolts of energy rained down on us from the gliders.  
  
I sprinted towards the gate and ran watched as Daniel and Mia ran into it, a second before me. But just as I went through the event horizon, I saw two of the blasts hit the stargate. But by then I was already through and I felt the familiar cold feeling of being pushed and pulled at the same time.  
  
Then I felt a large jolt that was anything but familiar and the feeling increased, until it was almost excruciating. I grunted as I left the stargate at the other end, and managed to roll forwards and not hit my head on the ground. I came to rest in a heap, in the dirt. I sat up coughing.  
  
I looked around me, and saw Daniel and Mia standing a little way away. They too were covered in dust. Stood up and looked the other way, but I only saw Jack lying in a crumpled heap. "Where's Jacob?" I asked.  
  
"I do not know." Mia replied. "They were not here when we arrived."  
  
I looked over at the Colonel again, and saw he hadn't moved. I ran over to him, and crouched down at his side. His eyes were closed, and there was a wound in his shoulder. "Dial the gate Daniel." I snapped. "The Colonel's been shot."  
  
Daniel came and crouched across from me, as I drew out the small med kit. "I can't." Daniel said.  
  
"Why?" I asked, as I began carefully cleaning the Colonel's wound with some water.  
  
"Because we're not supposed to be here." Daniel said. "Where ever here is."  
  
I looked up at Daniel and saw real worry on his face. "Daniel." I said. "What is it?"  
  
He looked me straight in the eyes. "Because I dialled Earth last time."  
  
I looked at him and felt the surprise hit me. Then I closed my eyes. "The gate was hit on the other side." I said. "There was a jolt as I travelled through."  
  
"We, too, experienced the jolt." Mia said.  
  
I looked up from where I was binding Jack's wound. "Then where's Jacob and the other Tok'ra?"  
  
"My only guess would be that they had exited the gate before it was hit." Mia said.  
  
I sighed, and closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them again, I looked around at the barren world we were now on. "We're in trouble then." I said.  
  
Daniel looked at me. "You could say that." 


	5. Part Five

JANEWAY:  
  
"Captain."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Tuvok?" I said from my usual seat in the command chair on Voyager's bridge.  
  
"Scans detect a large power surge coming from a nearby planet." He said in his calm voice.  
  
I turned to look at him. "What kind of power surge?"  
  
"Unknown Captain." Tuvok answered. "But energy readings suggest it is the opening of a wormhole."  
  
"A wormhole?" I sounded surprised, even to myself. "Is that even possible?"  
  
"Logically, a wormhole should not be able to form so close to a planetary mass." Tuvok said.  
  
At his words, I smiled with excitement. I was fascinated by the possibilities of this. As a scientist, I couldn't let this opportunity pass by. And as a Starfleet Captain, I had the soul of an explorer. Everyone on Voyager did.  
  
"Mr. Paris, slow to impulse." I ordered. "Mr. Kim, I want to know everything about that planet."  
  
"Aye, Captain." Tom Paris, Voyager's helmsman replied.  
  
There was a moment of quiet on the bridge and I heard, as well as felt, the tension humming through Voyager and her crew. It was comforting feeling, and one that I had felt many times before. "Captian?" Harry Kim asked.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Kim?"  
  
"The planet appears to be uninhabited." He told me. "It has twin suns and an atmosphere able to sustain human life. There is only one technological signature, and it appears to be made of an unknown alloy."  
  
"Mr. Tuvok . . . " I began, but was cut off by Harry's sharp cry.  
  
"Captain!" he said. "Four life signs just appeared on the planet's surface. They're human!"  
  
My eyebrows rose in surprise. Around five years ago, Voyager had been flung thousands of light years away from Earth, into the Delta Quadrant. As far as I knew, we were the only humans to get this far. "Are you sure?" I asked Harry.  
  
"Yes, Captain." He replied.  
  
"He is indeed correct." Tuvok agreed. "The power surge has disappeared leaving four human bio-signs."  
  
"Are you telling me that these humans can travel through wormholes?" I said.  
  
I could scarcely believe my ears. If this was possible, then we might just have found a way home! I tapped a button on the arm of my chair. "Commander Chakotay, report to the bridge."  
  
Chakotay was my first officer, and without him, I doubt I would have been able to cope with everything that had happened over the last five years. A second later, the door to the bridge swished open and Chakotay entered. "I was already on my way when I heard the call." He explained.  
  
I smiled briefly at hjm as he walked to his chair, which was right beside mine. He sat down and accessed his viewscreen. As he read the data, I saw his eyebrows rise. "Is this true?" he said softly to me.  
  
"Yes." I said, grinning.  
  
He turned to me, his eyes sparkling and his face alive with hope, just as mine was. I was stuck in that moment how handsome he was. Sometimes there are just moments when I seem to realise this. When he smiled at me like that I found myself wanting to smile back at him forever.  
  
I dragged my thoughts back to the wormhole. "Venteron emanations, tunnelling, secondary particles. If that isn't a wormhole, I don't know what is." I said.  
  
"And the four humans just appeared?" Chakotay asked.  
  
""Yes." I replied. I then raised my voice to address the rest of the bridge crew. "Mr. Paris, put us in planetary orbit." I ordered.  
  
"Aye, Captain!" he replied.  
  
"Tuvok, I want you to analyse that data. I want to know exactly what  
happened."  
  
"Yes, Captain." He replied.  
  
I turned back to Chakotay. "Take Seven, and find out what this thing  
is and how those humans got here."  
  
"Aye, Captain." He replied.  
  
As he got up to leave, I added. "And take Tom with you, too."  
  
"Aye, Captain." Tom said, his face breaking into an enthusiastic grin.  
  
Tom and Chakotay left the bridge, and I turned to Tuvok again. "Can you put this device on-screen?" I asked him. "I want to see it."  
  
"Yes, Captain." He replied, and a moment later, the view-screen changed from it's usual vista of black space covered with stars, to a picture of the planet's barren surface.  
  
The planet was dry and dusty, with no visible plant life. "Why would the humans want to come here?" I muttered to myself.  
  
I looked at the small structure in the middle of the screen. It appeared to be a ring of some sort - which could be explained if this device somehow opened a wormhole. I couldn't see the humans from here, and whatever the device was, it was silent now. "Magnify." I said, hoping a closer view would help answer some of my questions.  
  
Tuvok complied, and the image on the screen got larger. I looked at the ring, and noticed the symbols on the outside. They looked strangely familiar, but I didn't know what they were. There was a small device next to the ring, and it contained what looked like buttons. I shook my head. This was very strange. I could only hope that Chakotay and Seven would find out more about this device, and where those humans came from.  
  
* * *  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
The planet was dry and dusty, with air that seemed heavy and thick. I broke out into a sweat almost as soon as I finished materialising. And I wondered again why humans would come to a place like this. I got out my tricorder, and set off for the ring, Seven right behind me.  
  
"This planet is uninhabited and contains an environment that seems to be hostile to humans. I do not understand why these humans would come here." Seven said.  
  
"Neither do I." I replied.  
  
Seven frowned at that, and had the look on her face that she gets every time she comes across something she does not understand about humans. "Tom?" I called.  
  
"Yes?" Tom said, jogging up to me.  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"Nothing." Tom said with a innocent face.  
  
I let the comment go, and looked up as we got closer to the alien device. It was a large ring, about as twice as tall as a human, with strange markings all around it. I took some readings of it, just as Seven was, and noticed the small device next to it.  
  
"Do you think this is how you control it?" I asked Seven.  
  
"There is strong possibility." She replied.  
  
"They're constellations." Tom said.  
  
I frowned. "Tom?" I asked. "What do you mean?"  
  
"The symbols on the ring." Tom said. "They're constellations." He turned away from the gate and looked at me. "You know how you join the stars together? Well that's all they are."  
  
I nodded and looked at the ring. They were constellations now that I looked at them. Those symbols also matched the symbols on the smaller device. "It looks like this is how you control it." I said. "You obviously match the symbols."  
  
"Indeed." Seven said. "Although the number of symbols suggests there would be many variations, suggesting this device could lead to many different locations."  
  
I nodded thoughtfully at that. It an amazing thought. And if these humans could create something like this, then they might just possess the technology needed to get Voyager home. I looked up at Seven. "Have you finished your readings?" I asked.  
  
"Almost." She replied.  
  
A minute later she was done. I looked off to a slightly scrubby area just beyond the ring. "Let's find these humans." I said.  
  
I began walking towards the scrub, with Tom right behind me. Seven followed, her eyes alert for any movement. I stopped two meters away from the brush. "My name is Commander Chakotay." I said. "From the USS Voyager. We are explorers, and we mean you no harm."  
  
There was no movement. "They are hiding from us." Seven said. "But they are there."  
  
"Please." I said. "We only want to help you."  
  
There was a brief movement from behind the bushes, and a woman stood up. She was wearing some sort of uniform, all of it black, and had obviously removed some of it because of the heat. Her arms were bare, aside from to sheathed knives running from elbow to wrist, and wore a vest over black pants.  
  
She also carried some dangerous, but ancient looking weapons. Her hair was a dark red and her eyes a brilliant green, although her hair had come undone slightly, and there was a smug of dirt on her cheek. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded in a surprisingly harsh voice, training what looked like an automatic gun at my chest.  
  
"Their weapons and clothing suggest they are not from our time." Seven said from behind me. "As does her speech. I believe this woman is from somewhere within the late 20th century."  
  
The woman remained coldly pointing a gun at us. She never moved. "Who are you?" she repeated.  
  
"Commander Chakotay of the USS Voyager." I said. "This is Lieutenant Tom Paris, and Seven of Nine."  
  
"USS Voyager?" she said. "Where is it?"  
  
"Voyager is a starship. She's currently orbiting the planet."  
  
I expected this remark to surprise the woman, since in the 20th and even early 21st century space travel was still something that was both expensive and new. But the woman never even blinked. Either she had a very good poker face, or the idea of space travel wasn't new to her.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked.  
  
"Lieutenant Colonel Josephine Riley of the United States Air Force." She replied.  
  
"Where are the others?" I asked. "Are they still here?"  
  
"Yes." She said. "What do you want?"  
  
"To help you." I said. "And to learn about how you got here."  
  
"How I got here?" she echoed. Then she closed her eyes. "Wormholes. You want to know about wormholes."  
  
Riley let go of the gun, and looked back at me. There was a tiredness in her eyes when she did. She seemed to be debating something with herself. Then she looked down at something - or probably someone - on the ground near her. "Alright." She said. "You give us some medical attention and some supplies, and I'll tell you everything I know about wormholes and the 'gate."  
  
"The gate?" I asked.  
  
"The stargate." She said. Then at my confused look she pointed at the device. "That."  
  
"Done." I said.  
  
I tapped my combadge. "Captain, I request permission to bring the humans on board."  
  
"Where are they from?" Janeway asked.  
  
"Seven says they come from around the late 20th century."  
  
"What?" Janeway said, sounding surprised. Then she sighed. "I'll beam the doctor down, but I can't let them on board a warp ship, Chakotay. You know that."  
  
"If I may interrupt, Captain." Seven said. "But I do not believe we would be in violation of the Prime Directive. These humans are not from our reality. I believe they are from another dimension, and we therefore do not risk contaminating our own timeline."  
  
"Are you sure, Seven?" Janeway asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Very well. Permission granted." Captain Janeway said.  
  
A moment later, I felt the familiar tingling sensation as I was beamed back on board Voyager. 


	6. Part Six

RILEY:  
  
I watched in surprise as three humans walked towards the gate. Or at least they looked human, but they were wearing some kind of uniform that I had never seen before. I stayed hidden in the scrub, but I glanced at Mia by my side. They couldn't see us, but if they knew we were here, it wouldn't be that hard to find us. This was the only bit of scrub in the area.  
  
One of the humans soon turned and began walking in our direction. They knew we were here. I cursed softly under my breath and hoped they were friendly. One of the men stopped about two meters from where we were hiding. He was tall and broad shouldered, with tanned skin and dark hair. He had a tattoo over his left eye.  
  
"My name is Commander Chakotay." He called out, in a deep voice. "From the USS Voyager. We are explorers and we mean you no harm."  
  
I said nothing and nobody moved. There was another man standing just behind the Commander. His hair looked almost blond in the light of the twin suns, the second of which was just beginning to rise. He wore the same uniform as the Commander, of a black suit with a strip of dark red across the shoulders.  
  
On the Commander's other side was a tall woman. Her hair was blond and tied tightly back from a stunning face. Her figure was accentuated by the figure hugging clothes she wore. It was some sort of body suit I guess. I also noticed she had some kind of implant above her left eye and on her left hand.  
  
When she spoke, it was calmly and efficiently. "They are hiding from us. But they are there."  
  
"Please." The Commander said. "I only want to help you."  
  
I looked at Mia, and then back where Daniel was looking after the Colonel, who was still unconscious. I took a deep breath and then stood up. Because of the heat, I had taken off my jacket and T-shirt a long time ago, and only wore my bra under the vest we always carried. I held my gun out in front of me, keeping it trained on the Commander. I trusted Mia to guard the others while I talked.  
  
I saw the Commander look faintly surprised when he saw me. I knew my braided hair had come loose and it was sticking to me from all the sweat, and my arm sheaths were visible too. The man behind him grinned a little. The woman never batted an eyelid, as she glanced at me, and then down at the device in her hand.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.  
  
"Their weapons and clothing suggest they are not from our time." The woman said from behind him. "As does her speech. I believe this woman is from somewhere within the late 20th century."  
  
I didn't move. I kept the gun trained at the man's chest. I wanted some answers and I wanted them now. "Who are you?" I repeated.  
  
"Commander Chakotay of the USS Voyager." He said. "This is Lieutenant Tom Paris, and Seven of Nine."  
  
"USS Voyager?" I said. "Where is it?"  
  
"Voyager is a starship. She's currently orbiting the planet."  
  
I had expected something like this when I had heard the name. I didn't bother thinking about the implecations of humans having starships and exploring space, but the idea of a starship wasn't new to me. I'd been in motherships before. The Commander looked slightly surprised at my lack of reaction, but he didn't do anything else.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"Lieutenant Colonel Josephine Riley of the United States Air Force."  
  
"Where are the others?" he asked. "Are they still here?"  
  
"Yes." I said. "What do you want?"  
  
"To help you." Chakotay said. "And to learn about how you got here."  
  
"How I got here?" I echoed. Then I closed my eyes as inspiration hit. They wanted to know about the gate, and how it worked. It struck me then, that while they believed we were from their past, we couldn't be because they didn't know about the network of stargates. While we probably could have hidden the two on Earth, I doubt these explorers could have ignored the ones they found on all the planets near Earth.  
  
"Wormholes. You want to know about wormholes." I said finally.  
  
I let go of the gun, and it slid down so it was hanging across my chest. I looked back at Commander Chakotay and felt tiredness. I just wanted to go home again. I looked down at the Colonel and met Daniel's worried eyes. I took a deep breath. "Alright." I said. "You give us some medical attention and some supplies, and I'll tell you everything I know about wormholes and the 'gate."  
  
"The gate?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"The stargate." I said. Then at his confused look, I pointed at the gate behind him. "That."  
  
"Done." he said, nodding.  
  
He tapped a small device on his clothes. At first I thought it was some kind of radio, and then I realised that it was a communication device. "Captain, I request permission to bring the humans on board." He said.  
  
"Where are they from?" A female voice asked.  
  
"Seven says they come from around the late 20th century."  
  
"What?" The woman said, sounding surprised. Then she sighed. "I'll beam the doctor down, but I can't let them on board a warp ship, Chakotay. You know that."  
  
"If I may interrupt, Captain." The blond woman said. "But I do not believe we would be in violation of the Prime Directive. These humans are not from our reality. I believe they are from another dimension, and we therefore do not risk contaminating our own timeline."  
  
I raised my eyebrow at that. It was what I was thinking, but because of the way she said it, I thought the woman might have had some experiences with inter dimensional travelling herself.  
  
"Are you sure, Seven?" The Captain asked.  
  
"Of course." She replied.  
  
"Very well. Permission granted."  
  
A moment later, I felt an almost familiar tingling sensation, almost like the one I felt when I was used the ring transporter - and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a cool metal room with a surprised human in the room. My gun was in my hand before I could think about it, and I whirled on the Commander. "What the hell was that?" I snapped.  
  
"We just beamed you to our starship." Chakotay said. "You are now on Voyager."  
  
"It would be wise to warn us of the fact, next time, Commander." Mia said as she straightened. "It would reduce your chances of serious physical harm, due to surprising armed fighters."  
  
Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "My apologies." He said.  
  
"Commander, I must protest at this intrusion!" the man in the room said. "I, too, would like to be told before you beam four complete strangers into my sickbay!"  
  
The man was shorter than the Commander, and wore a green stripe across his shoulders instead of a red one. I looked around the room, and noticed the beds and equipment. It did appear to be a sickbay. "Are you a Doctor?" Daniel asked him.  
  
"I most certainly am - "  
  
Daniel cut him off. "This man here has a severe concussion and took a blast to the shoulder. I think it's broken."  
  
The man seemed to get angry at that. "I am the Doctor here, thank you, and I will diagnose the patients!"  
  
"Then hurry up." I said coldly.  
  
He looked at me, and looked as if her would argue, but something stopped him. "Mr. Paris, help me get him up onto one of the beds."  
  
It didn't take long, but after standing over the Colonel with a small device in his hand, the Doctor had treated the shoulder wound, and his concussion - as well as the dehydration. He turned to the rest of us, and was just finishing when a petite woman walked into the room.  
  
She had shoulder length dark red hair, and the air of arrogance that comes with the knowledge that all your orders will be obeyed. Jack had the same arrogance, as did I. All commanders did. He uniform was the same as the Commanders, and she was accompanied by a tall dark skinned man, who wore a yellow strip across his shoulders. I raised an eyebrow when I saw his pointed ears.  
  
'Welcome to my ship, the Voyager. My name is Captain Kathryn Janeway." She said.  
  
I slipped off the bed I was sitting on, and nodded. "My name is Lieutenant Colonel Josephine Riley, of the United States Air Force." I said. "These are my team mates Dr. Daniel Jackson, Mia Mor'anth, and the man on the bed is our CO, Colonel Jack O'Neill."  
  
Janeway nodded. "This is Lieutenant Commander Tuvok." She said, motioning to the man beside her.  
  
"Greetings." He said.  
  
At that moment Jack groaned and we all turned towards him. "Sir?" I said.  
  
He groaned again, before his eyes flickered open. "Did we do it?" he asked, his voice raw and gravely.  
  
"Yes, sir." I said. "The temple was destroyed and the other teams were on cleanup duty when we left."  
  
"Good." He said. Then he frowned. "Where's the Doc?"  
  
"I am right here, and I must say you are lucky to be alive after . . . "  
  
Jack turned and glared at me. "Riley, report." He said. "Starting with, where the hell we are!"  
  
As Jack sat up, Daniel glanced at me, but I shook my head. It was my decision, and I would take the consequences. "We are on a starship called the USS Voyager, sir." I said. "As far as I can tell, it is manned almost entirely by humans."  
  
Jack shot me a final glare, and then looked about the room. Before he could say anything, the Captain stepped forward. "My name is Captain Kathryn Janeway." She said. "Of the United Federation of Planets, of which Earth is a member."  
  
"This is Commander Chakotay, my first officer, and the man who helped you get off that planet." She said, motioning to Chakotay.  
  
"What planet?" Jack asked.  
  
"There was a jolt while we were travelling through the wormhole, Jack." Daniel said. "So we didn't end up on Earth like we should have."  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
The Captain broke in. "I will be happy to provide you with information." She continued her introductions. "This is Seven of Nine, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Lieutenant Tom Paris and the Doctor." She said, motioning to each person in turn.  
  
"My name is Colonel Jack O'Neill." Jack said.  
  
Janeway nodded. "Yes, your Lieutenant Colonel introduced us."  
  
Then Janeway frowned. "You also mentioned a temple that you had blown up. May I ask, what that is?"  
  
"We're at war, Captain. The temple was one of our enemy's strongholds. We destroyed it." Jack's tone was completely empty as he explained.  
  
"At war with whom?" Janeway asked. There was a curious look on her face, and I realised she thought that Earth and its countries were still fighting with each other. We still were, I guess, but that was not the enemy we meant. "It's not what you think, Captain." I said. "We're not fighting humans, we're fighting monsters."  
  
The Captain still frowned at us, and I could see she was getting angry. She still didn't understand. "Is that truly what they are, or just what you would like to believe?" she asked.  
  
I felt my own temper flaring. "Yes, they are truly monsters. And they are not human." I snapped. "They are symbiotes that take control of a human as a host. Snakes that hide that person's conscious away, so they cannot control their body, but a forced to watch while the symbiote does horrible and unspeakable things to others. They are monsters who are fighting us, because we can provide them with more hosts. We are fighting for our freedom, Captain, against a race that wants to enslave us, and exterminate all those who oppose them!"  
  
But the time I had finished, the Captain had lost the angry gleam in her eyes. "I am sorry. I was biased by history and did not give you a chance." Then she looked at Jack. "Perhaps we should both sit down and explain how we both ended up here."  
  
Jack just nodded. 


	7. Part Seven

Authors Note: I'm really, really sorry for not updating this for so long, but I've been very busy because I just finished high school. I promise the next part won't take so long! ~Cheeky.  
  
JANEWAY:  
  
It was about two hours later when we finally had the truth out of our guests. Although I can't really blame them for not wanting to tell us. The information they had, had the same potential to rip apart history as we knew it, as ours did. I shook my head. I sat at the head of the table as usual and looked at the faces around me. Harry was sitting next to Chakotay and the Doctor, while Tom and B'Elanna were sitting on my other side along with Neelix.  
  
Colonel Jack O'Neill was sitting with his team at the opposite end of the table to me. I had been watching their faces carefully throughout the briefing, and I noticed that they didn't show much - except for a deep pain and anger every time someone mentioned the Goa'uld. It was as if there was so much of it inside them that they couldn't keep it all from showing. And something deep inside me rose to the surface and I knew I had to help them heal that pain - if it were possible at all. They deserved so much better after all they had done.  
  
Tuvok was still on the bridge, since I had given him the command. He was monitoring the briefing through an open comm. channel. He had remained almost completely silent through out SG-1's whole story, and had only helped me briefly when I had explained our universe to them.  
  
Seven, too, wasn't here because she had remained in Astrometrics to analyse the data we had taken of the surge and subsequent wormhole we had felt. She was also listening via an open comm. channel, but unlike Tuvok, she had not said anything.  
  
I watched the four tortured people sitting in front of me and raised an eyebrow. "So how did you end up in our dimension?"  
  
Jack looked at me. "We were given mission to destroy a Goa'uld base." He said getting straight to the point. "We 'gated into the planet . . . "  
  
"Gated?" I asked, slightly confused.  
  
"Travelled through the gate." Mia explained.  
  
"We 'gated to the planet, blew up our target and retreated." Jack continued, his voice dry and unemotional. "We ran into some Jaffa, and a few gliders, before we managed to open the 'gate. The Tok'ra went through first, and then the rest of my team. I was hit by a staff blast when I tried to go through, but I managed to get through the 'gate before it exploded."  
  
"That would explain the jolt." Daniel said.  
  
Jack nodded. "The jolt knocked me out. And the next thing I remember is waking up here."  
  
"Colonel O'Neill." Seven said through the comm. link. "Would the destruction of this 'stargate' have affected the wormhole in any unusual ways?"  
  
Jack looked at Riley and she nodded slightly. "Yes it would have." She said to Seven in answer. "The destruction of the 'gate would have caused the stored energy within it to be suddenly released, causing a surge within the structure of the wormhole, making it more powerful. This is probably what allowed us to cross dimensions."  
  
"But should not the wormhole have deposited you on Earth?" Seven asked.  
  
"Yes." Riley agreed. "But if what you say is true, this is probably the only gate left within your universe, and the only 'gate we could have come through."  
  
"Indeed. The Borg have not come across this technology before, and that signifies it does not exist outside this planet." Seven said.  
  
"The Vulcans have no knowledge of this technology either." Tuvok said.  
  
I frowned. This was going to make things difficult. If no one had come across this technology before, then there was a good chance that no one else knew anything about it - and because of that it would be harder to find out what had gone wrong. "Seven, I want you to continue analysing the data until you find anything to help us." I ordered. "Commander Chakotay, report to Astrometrics. Help Seven."  
  
I turned to the four guests in front of me. "Let's find you some quarters." I said. "You could probably use some sleep and a decent meal."  
  
Jack shook his head. "No thank you, Captain." He said. "We do not need food or sleep. But we would appreciate a room."  
  
I nodded, half to myself. No sleep? I would have to get the Doctor to watch them. I was just contemplating what to do about that, when Tuvok's voice came back over the comm. His voice sounded as calm and controlled as ever, but his words sent a shiver down my spine.  
  
"Captain." He said. "A Borg Cube has just exited warp. It has just spotted us, and is changing course."  
  
I stifled a groan. Just what we needed. Borg!  
  
"Tuvok, sound Yellow Alert." I ordered.  
  
The lights dimmed, and I turned to the rest of my crew. "Report to your stations." I ordered. "We'll discuss this again later."  
  
After a chorus of 'Aye, Captain's', the crew scattered, and I jumped to my feet. Chakotay had remained behind, in case I had more specific orders and stood like a reassuring presence behind me. I looked at Jack, and made a split-second decision. "Come with us to the bridge." I said.  
  
Jack nodded, as if sensing the tension of the situation. Just as we left the briefing room Tuvok's voice came over my comm. again. "The Borg Cube is now on an intercept vector." He stated.  
  
"I'm on my way." I said. "Run evasive pattern eight delta four."  
  
"Aye, Captain." Tuvok replied.  
  
I raced up to the bridge, and almost threw myself into my command chair - the only thing stopping me was the fact Captain's just didn't do that - no matter what. "Mr. Paris!" I said. "Lose them."  
  
Then I remembered our previous encounters with the Borg. "Remodulate shields to random harmonics." I ordered.  
  
I felt Chakotay sit down beside me. I glanced over at him, and he nodded. I smiled softly. Sometimes I didn't know what I would do without Chakotay. He always thought of the things I didn't. Like finding a place on the crowded bridge for our guests so that they could see, but not get in the way.  
  
"The Borg are following." Tuvok said. "And are now within firing range."  
  
Voyager shuddered as it was hit by a blast. "Shields to 95%." Tuvok said.  
  
"Return fire!" I snapped. "Red Alert. Crew to battle stations!"  
  
The bridge turned red under the glow of the lights, as the view screen flashed in front of me, and I came face to face with a Borg Drone. "We are the Borg. Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile." The familiar words echoed through the bridge.  
  
"I don't think so." I said. "Harry, cut communications."  
  
"Aye, Captain."  
  
"Shields at 84%." Tuvok's voice came again.  
  
Voyager continued to shudder as it was hit by the Borg weapons. "Maximum warp, Mr. Paris." I ordered.  
  
"Aye Captain." He said.  
  
But before we could get far enough away from the Borg ship, we were hit with a huge blast of energy. The force of the impact made Voyager jerk forward and threw me out of my seat. "What was that?" I snapped as I stood up.  
  
"Some sort of high energy weapon." Tuvok said. "It is unlike anything we have encountered before."  
  
I nodded. "Damage report."  
  
"Shields are down to 54%." Tuvok said.  
  
"No hull damage."  
  
"Systems remain active."  
  
"Keep firing at that thing!" I said. "And Mr. Paris, I want to get away from them!"  
  
"Engineering to bridge!" B'Elanna's voice came over the comm. "The engines can't take much more of this!"  
  
"Understood." I said. "Mr. Paris!"  
  
Another blast hit us, and I was thrown forward once again. Chakotay hit the deck beside me. Sparks flashed as some of the consols exploded. Chakotay winced as something hit him on the cheek, drawing blood. I saw him reach a hand to the wound, gently touching it before he got to his feet once again.  
  
"Shields at 37%." Tuvok said, somehow having managed to keep his feet.  
  
Anther blast hit the ship, as I got to my knees and knocked me sprawling again. Then another hit. Panic was trying to raise its ugly head. I had to do something! This ship and its crew was depending on me!  
  
"Shields at 12%" Tuvok said, as another blast hit, and suddenly Voyager was dead in space.  
  
"Slowing to impulse." Tuvok said.  
  
We hung there for a moment, coming to a complete stop, and waited for the final blow, but nothing came. "Status report!" I barked, finally climbing to my feet.  
  
"We are completely off line." Tuvok said.  
  
"No helm control." Said Tom.  
  
"Communications and scanners are down." Harry reported.  
  
I sighed, and was about to send a general order out over the comm links, when the ship shuddered slightly. I turned to Chakotay, and stifled a gasp as Voyager disappeared around me.  
  
* * *  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
I stood silent for a moment looking at the spot where Kathryn had just stood. Then I mentally shook myself. I had to do something. Voyager was in trouble! "Report!" I barked. "Who's missing?"  
  
"From the bridge, Lieutenant Paris and the Captain." Tuvok said, as calm as ever. "Internal sensors are down, so I cannot monitor the rest of the crew."  
  
I growled softly as I realised that with Voyager offline, we were virtually blind and defenceless. "We'll have to do this the hard way then." I said with a sinking feeling. "How long will it take to repair Voyager's essential systems?"  
  
"Without knowing the extent of the damage, between four and ten hours." Tuvok replied.  
  
"Do your best." I said. "And try and get the scanners online as soon as possible. I want to know what's going on out there."  
  
"Chakotay?" said a soft male voice behind me.  
  
"Yes?" I turned to see Dr. Daniel Jackson standing there, a concerned look on his face.  
  
"The Colonel and Riley are missing too."  
  
I stifled another groan. Things were getting bad.  
  
* * *  
  
It turned out that only a few members of the crew were missing - only those that seemed to be of interest to the Borg. In short, along with the Captain, Paris, Colonel O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Riley; Seven and B'Elanna were also missing.  
  
I had set up security patrols on all decks, but so far nothing had happened. We had taken some damage to the rear of the ship and I had sent two teams to have a look, but so far there was nothing.  
  
The rest of the crew had been assigned to repair duty. The sooner we got Voyager online, the sooner we could get our missing crew back.  
  
I had kept Daniel and Mia near me on the bridge, and assigned them to the security detail on guard. I was helping with the repairs on the bridge when the call came in. "Commander!" Lieutenant Frier, the commander of one of the security teams surveying the damage, yelled. "The Borg are on the ship! I repeat, there are Borg on the ship!"  
  
"Seal of the area!" I ordered, at the sounds of phaser fire. "Security teams retreat and cease fire!"  
  
As if things couldn't have gotten any worse. 


	8. Part Eight

Author's Note: Sorry this has taken so long, but life happened. (Just my way of saying I've been too bust to write!) I hope the next one won't take so long! ~Cheeky.  
  
JACK:  
  
I felt a strange, but familiar feeling come over me, rather like what I felt when I went through the 'gate or used the ring transporters. The bridge of USS Voyager dissolved around me, only to be replaced by a dark metal room.  
  
I heard a sound, and I spun, my hands going for my weapons. But it was only Riley. She had already drawn one of her automatics and held it in a two handed grip, pointed at the floor.  
  
Her P-90 was slung around her back and she still wasn't wearing a shirt, so the knives strapped to her forearms glinted dully in the dim light. I turned to look for Daniel and Mia, but found several others instead.  
  
"They're not here." Riley said in her harsh voice, meaning our missing team mates.  
  
I nodded and looked at the others in the room. Captain Janeway was looking at me, and standing next to her was the blond woman from the infirmary. Seven, I think her name is. Tom Paris was also here and standing next to him was a tall woman who didn't look quite human.  
  
"Where are we?" I asked Janeway.  
  
"My guess would be an assimilation chamber." She said. "Seven?"  
  
"You are correct, Captain." Seven replied.  
  
"Assimilation chamber?" I asked. "You mean we're on the Borg . . . " I searched for the right word.  
  
"Cube?" Janeway said. "Yes."  
  
I raised an eyebrow at Janeway's calm tone. I shot Riley a look and she nodded slightly and tightened her grip on her gun. "What's the plan?" I asked the Captain.  
  
"Plan?" she echoed. "To wait."  
  
At her words, Tom Paris glanced at her, interrupting the quiet conversation he had been having with the tall woman. "We wait?" he asked. "Captain . . . "  
  
"Yes, Tom." Janeway replied.  
  
"An attack right now would be futile." Seven agreed. "As Voyager remains in need of extensive repairs."  
  
I nodded to Janeway. It made sense to wait until Voyager was better able to help us. But, just like Tom, I didn't like the idea of waiting in the middle of an enemy's ship. I looked at Riley and motioned her towards the back of the room and out of earshot.  
  
"What do you think?" I asked her.  
  
"About the plan?" she asked. "It's probably the only viable one we have."  
  
"I agree."  
  
We turned and walked back to the others. Then I looked at Riley. I could see that, even though it was our only option, she didn't want to stay still. I shook my head at her, hoping to persuade her not to do something foolish, before finding a place to sit down against the wall. Riley joined me a second later, as did Seven. I looked over at her, but she did not speak. Neither did I, and unlike other people, she seemed not to need to fill the silence that followed.  
  
Janeway was talking quietly to the tall woman - I still did not know her name - and Tom Paris. The seemed to be occupied in whatever it was they were talking about, so I did not intrude. After a few minutes, though, Riley broke the silence. "Why are you named Seven?" she asked.  
  
"It was my designation, as I'm sure Captain Janeway told you. I was Seven of Nine, tertiary adjunct of uni-matrix zero one." Seven said.  
  
"I apologise. I remember the Captain telling us that." Riley replied.  
  
"There is no need." Seven said. "There was a lot of information for you to assimilate."  
  
Riley nodded. Then she cocked her head to the side, thoughtfully. "What do you feel, coming to a place like this again?"  
  
Seven looked at her thoughtfully. "I feel sad, because my life is no longer part of the collective, but it is a fading sadness. I also feel a longing to be part of it once more. Despite what many may think, being a Borg drone was a peaceful existence for me."  
  
Riley nodded. "Thank you, Seven." She said, understanding what it was like to reveal personal feelings like that.  
  
"Why do you want to know about being a drone?" Came a woman's voice.  
  
I looked up and saw the tall woman standing above us. "I was curious." Riley said.  
  
"About what?" she snapped. "Something that takes people and forces them to change into something else? I thought you fought against that kind of thing?"  
  
I could see Riley tense as she absorbed the aggression in the woman's words. "I was curious about what Seven felt. I wanted to see if there was a difference in our enemies, and I think there is."  
  
"Oh?" the woman said. "And what difference is that?"  
  
Riley stood up and leaned towards the woman, her voice getting lower and more controlled. "The Borg seem to share things. The Goa'uld do not."  
  
The woman opened her mouth top retort, but Janeway's firm voice interrupted her. "B'Elanna." She warned.  
  
Riley cocked her head to the side, a predatory look in her eye. "Riley." I said levelly. "No."  
  
"No?" the woman - B'Elanna - turned to me. "What don't you want her to do, Colonel?"  
  
"Hurt you." I replied, my tone bland.  
  
"Hurt me?" B'Elanna said. "For what? Speaking the truth?"  
  
"You only speak the truth as you see it." I said. "And no, she would not hurt you for that. But she doesn't like people who tell her that she doesn't fight against those who would take her freedom."  
  
"Well she doesn't seem to want to." B'Elanna said.  
  
I was beginning to get angry now. What did this woman know about our lives? About the pain we felt? About the Goa'uld? Nothing. I looked at her and felt my expression harden into the one that seemed to make people cringe away, and I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes. But it was gone as soon as it appeared. "What is so wrong about trying to understand your enemies? Sometimes it is knowledge like that, that will win the fight against them." I said, trying to keep my tone level.  
  
Something must have crept into my voice, because Janeway gave me a sharp look. B'Elanna looked at me for a long minute, before turning and walking away. She sat down near Tom and continued to almost glare at us. "Do you understand the Goa'uld?" Janeway asked, pulling my attention away from B'Elanna.  
  
"Yes." I replied. "We know what they want, and we know how they act. And because of that we know their weaknesses, so we can beat them."  
  
Janeway shook her head. "I don't know how you can say that all so tonelessly. When I think about all I know and understand about the Borg, I feel anger and sad and frustrated. Don't you?"  
  
"Feel angry about the Goa'uld?" I asked. "Or are you actually asking me whether I feel at all?"  
  
She looked at me, and a flash of apology flickered over her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but I interrupted her. "Yes, Captain. I do feel." I said softly. "It may not look like it, but I do."  
  
"What do you feel?" Tom asked, his voice also soft, as if he was scared I would close up if he wasn't careful. He was right, though. I probably would.  
  
"About the Goa'uld?" I asked, not really needing to. I was just delaying my answer. I didn't really want to think about the Goa'uld, at least past the fact I wanted to destroy them, because of all the pain that it would cause. But the softly curious and need to know in Tom's eye's made the words come out of my mouth.  
  
"Anger." I said. "Because of what they have done to Human's all over the galaxy. Rage at what they have done to my friends. Frustration that we haven't defeated them yet. Pain at all the destruction they have caused . . . " my voice broke at that point, as a picture of Sam flashed before my eyes.  
  
There seemed to be a strange, detached part of myself watching this conversation, and it was amazed by the way a few simple words about the Goa'uld could break my control. I was supposed to be stronger that this, but I wasn't. For some reason, just admitting the effect the Goa'uld had had on my life, seemed almost enough to bring me to tears.  
  
" . . . and the deaths of those I loved. Disgust . . . " I took a shaky breath and tried to force my emotions away, to make the words bland and toneless. But it didn't work. They surged through the gap in my defences and tried to take control, to make me angry and to make me grieve. But I wouldn't let them.  
  
" . . . at what they enjoy doing. But mostly I try not to feel anything at all." I finished.  
  
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked into Riley's concerned and understanding eyes. She knew the fight I was going through, the battle I fought against my emotions. Just as she knew the pain I felt in those simple words. "The Goa'uld took almost everything from me. The only way I survive is by trying not to feel *anything*." I whispered.  
  
I closed my eyes against the pain, and saw Sam's beautiful face in front of me. She was smiling, lit up from inside, like she did when she had figured something out, or discovered something new - or when she told me that she loved me. A tear slipped down my face as I tried not to feel the pain building up in my heart. I would not cry and I would not grieve. Not here. Not now.  
  
"It's a choice of survival." I heard Riley explain, her harsh voice echoing eerily of the silent walls. "We either try not to feel anything, or we feel *everything* and the pain slowly kills us from inside."  
  
"Pain doesn't kill you." B'Elanna suddenly snapped. "It makes you stronger."  
  
I opened my eyes to see Riley turn on B'Elanna with anger and deep pain reflecting in her luminous green eyes. "Some pain will." She snapped back.  
  
"Oh?" B'Elanna snapped. "Like what?"  
  
"Like dying!" Riley yelled, leaping to her feet. "When you feel that moment where you accept that you are going to die, and then the darkness comes and you are dead. And then suddenly your not! And you know that it is only a matter of time before they come for you and the torture begins again. That's a pain that will kill you!"  
  
Riley breathed in shakily. "When you see you husband, the man that you love more than anything, die in front of your eyes, again and again. That pain will kill you!"  
  
By now, Riley was yelling almost at the top of her voice, as if the force and volume of the words would somehow convince B'Elanna of the pain behind them. "When you feel the unborn child in your womb pulled from you, and you know that your son or daughter will never have a chance at life because of what some sadistic monster thinks is fun, then you will know pain that will kill you!"  
  
Riley whirled around and punched the wall with enough force to make a loud 'whacking' noise, before she slid down it and began to sob. I felt the memories stir in my head, caused by all the pain in Riley's words, but I squashed them ruthlessly. They wouldn't come out . . .  
  
Riley sobs slowly got softer as she pulled herself together. After a silent minute, she pushed herself up and sat back against the wall, cradling one of her hand's that was beginning to swell. Her eyes were as cold as ever and held not trace of the pain like they had a few minutes ago. The only things that made me believe what had happened before was real, were the tear streaks down her face and the bruised hand she held.  
  
I turned to look at Janeway, and saw four shocked faces looking at us - I don't think I'd ever seen Seven look so human. "And you?" Janeway asked. "What happened to you?" 


	9. Part Nine

DANIEL:  
  
I heard Chakotay shouting orders around the bridge. I heard the yelled discovery of the Borg, but I felt detached from everything. I was still absently watching the chaos on the bridge when Commander Chakotay came up to me. "You might want to stay here." He told me. "You've never fought the Borg before."  
  
"We will help." Mia said. "We are warriors. We kill and fight and this will spare those who can help fix your ship."  
  
Chakotay looked as if he was about to object, but he obviously saw something in our faces, because he didn't. "Lieutenant." He called to one of the men standing on the bridge. "Our guests will be joining one of your teams to help fight the Borg."  
  
"Yes, sir." The man said, but I could see the confusion and doubt on his face when he turned away from the Commander.  
  
"On second thoughts," Chakotay said. "Tuvok, I want you to coordinate the attacks on the Borg and set up a command centre at the back of the ship."  
  
"Aye, Commander." Tuvok replied.  
  
Chakotay then turned back to Mia and me. "Go with Tuvok."  
  
I nodded and turned to the tall, dark skinned man. He was looking at Mia and me with a hint of curiosity. It was only a small flicker of emotion, nothing anyone else would have seen. But I had spent years watching Teal'c's almost expressionless face, and then watched Jack close up into himself and hide all his emotion deep away. As a result I can read people very well.  
  
I deliberately ignored the stab of pain I felt when I thought of Teal'c and the man Jack had become. Now was not the time to think about this and grieve for all that I had lost. But then, now was never the time. I knew in the back of my head that holding in and ignoring my feelings like I was doing was not healthy. But when your world crashes down around you and you loose almost everyone you care about, you tend not to want to talk about it - and one of the few people I would confide in is going through the same pain as me, and I don't want to force Jack to grieve yet, because I'm not sure he's strong enough to handle it anymore.  
  
It's a strange thought, I know. Jack has always been one of the strongest and toughest people I know, but since Sam and Teal'c died, and General Hammond was killed and Janet . . . died, something inside him seemed to break. And now, to me, Jack seems vulnerable, and as if the only thing holding him together is his stubborn will not to break. I can't burden him now, when he's not ready. I won't do that to a man who has come to mean so much to me and has been such a good friend to me, despite everything.  
  
By now, Tuvok had led the Lieutenant, Mia and me to the access shaft above deck 6. Deck 6 had been almost completely taken over by Borg, and from what I heard, Engineering was getting very worried because that's where Voyager kept her fuel. Tuvok led us to the nearest armoury from the access shaft, and began issuing orders in his calm voice.  
  
"Commander?" Mia asked after a moment. "What do you want us to do?"  
  
Tuvok turned to us. "I would like to know more about the weapons you carry." He said. "I have read detailed accounts of 20th Century weaponry, but I have never talked to someone who actually knew how to use one."  
  
I drew one of my Beretta's. "This is a Beretta 92 FS semi-automatic pistol. It has 9mm calibre bullets, 15 rounds per magazine and is both single and double action."  
  
I holstered the Beretta again, and unslung the P-90 from my shoulder. "This is the Fabrique National P90 sub-machine gun. It fires a 5.7 x 28mm cartridge that is slightly smaller in diameter than a 9mm. It can hold 50 rounds in a magazine, and works in both single shot and fully automatic mode. It fires at a speed of 900 rpm and as a maximum effective range of 200m. When used effectively, it can pierce 48 layers of Kevlar at 150m."  
  
"This is a zat, or zat'ni'katel." I said, as I showed him the zat gun I also carried. "It is a Goa'uld weapon and uses blasts of energy to stun, kill or disintegrate whoever it hits. One shot stuns, a second kills, and a third vaporises the body."  
  
I bent down and took a knife out of my boot. "This is a standard combat knife. Stainless steel, leather handle."  
  
All through my descriptions, Tuvok had continued to look curious, and nodded his thanks when I had finished. Although, he should really thank Jack, not me. He was the one who had taught me all about the weapons I carried, as well as most of the unarmed combat I knew - Riley was responsible for the rest.  
  
"My curved sword made from an alloy of titanium and is very strong." Mia added. "But I would assume that you would have come across many variations of sword through out your travels."  
  
Tuvok nodded. "These weapons are indeed formidable." He said. "And the Borg are not likely to have come across them before, which should mean they will be vulnerable to them."  
  
I nodded in reply. "Just tell us what we can do to help." I said.  
  
And I meant it. I really did want to help, and not just because of the similarities of the Borg and the Goa'uld. I wanted to help them simply because they needed help. And a part of me felt joyous at that knowledge. I guess I wasn't as dead inside as I had thought. And I'm not sure that's such a bad thing, either.  
  
Tuvok continued to look at us. "I will assign you to a security team that will enter through the access shaft." He said calmly. "But I must warn you. The Borg do not hesitate from pain of suffer from exhaustion. They will fight you until you are dead or assimilated, or until all the drones are dead. You can kill one, but another will always take its place."  
  
I nodded. "I will try to remember."  
  
Strangely, as I thought about the Borg, I remembered Earth's fight against the Replicators. They were also similar to the Borg - almost as if the Borg were a cross between the Goa'uld and the Replicators. It was almost a funny thought.  
  
As I silently watched, the armoury erupted into chaos that seemed to ebb and flow like the tide. Before long, Tuvok had set up his command post, complete with an open comm. link with the bridge. "How is it going, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked, over it.  
  
"I am just about to send in the first teams." Tuvok replied.  
  
"Good. With luck we should have internal sensors running soon, now that we've sorted out the life support systems. Keep me updated."  
  
"Aye, sir." Tuvok said.  
  
* * *  
  
As I crept through the eerily silent deck 6, I noticed technology that didn't seem to match Voyager. It seemed as if the Borg were doing some modifications - although I was told this is fairly usual when the Borg find interesting technology. It was also a lot warmer in here. It seems assimilation is not just reserved for the living.  
  
So far, we hadn't seen any drones. By we I mean the security team - Mia, me, Lieutenant Michaels, Ensign Morris, and surprisingly, Ensign Harry Kim. Apparently there were some systems on deck 6 that Harry needed to fix so the internal and external scanners can go back online.  
  
I just took there word for it. This ship was way more advanced than the technology I was used to dealing with. But I did watch Harry closely. He seemed a rather quiet and, well, gentle man, and I didn't know how he would react if we were attack by the Borg - or when we attacked them.  
  
We soon found the panel Harry was looking for, and he began fiddling with the wires inside. It struck me at the moment that I was sounding like Jack used to - worrying about how someone's going to fight, and dismissing all the things that I didn't understand. Like how to fix Voyager.  
  
I shook my head, and got back to watching for the Borg. This was what I was here for. The fight the Borg and help these humans. And then maybe get Jack and Riley back, and find a way home. Not that home was particularly appealing right now. Not after I'd feel the feeling of family that surrounded Voyager and her crew.  
  
Again, I had to drag my thoughts back to the task at hand. It was getting more and more difficult to concentrate on fighting. And more and more difficult to deny the emotions surging through my heart and soul. Maybe it was because of Voyager and her crew, maybe it was because I had finally reached the point where I wanted to scream and shout and cry and weep about the death of my friends. I don't know, but suddenly the corridor we were in seemed to close in on me and slowly begin to squeeze me from inside out.  
  
Talk about the wrong time to break down. At that moment several Borg drones turned the corner and saw us. I readied my guns as their heavy footsteps echoed off the walls, and channelled all my emotional energy into staying alive, hoping it would help. And, as if sensing my inner turmoil, Mia shot me a sharp glance.  
  
The grips of my Berettas were comforting in my hands, and I gripped them loosely in my hands as I had been taught. I had my P-90 slung over my back because the automatic fire was too dangerous in such close quarters. Lieutenant Michaels and Ensign Morris began firing with their phasers. But it wasn't long until the Borg grew resistant to them.  
  
I had already given one of my automatics to Tuvok for the other security team, and Mia had given up two of hers. Tuvok had thought this would be our best bet to get rid of the Borg, since they wouldn't have come across these weapons before. And, as was planned, Mia and I began firing at the drones with our pistols as soon as Michaels and Morris were out of the way.  
  
"Got it!" Harry cried. "Commander?"  
  
"The scanners are up and running Harry." Chakotay confirmed over the comm. Both Mia and I now had one of these as well.  
  
"There are twenty Borg drones onboard." Chakotay said. "And seven, not nine, are already dead."  
  
As Chakotay was speaking, both Mia and I were busy shooting and had already downed four of the Borg. A few seconds later the whole group was dead. "How many left?" I asked.  
  
"Six." Chakotay. "Now, five."  
  
"Sir, the Borg have just adapted again. The 'guns' only seem to be slowing them down, not killing them." Said the leader of the second security team.  
  
"Then get out of there." Chakotay said. "I don't want anyone getting hurt with the Doc offline."  
  
"Wait." Said Mia. "We cannot let them continue modifying the ship. Daniel and I will deal with the rest. We still have the zats."  
  
"Go." Said Chakotay.  
  
So as Harry, Michaels and Morris retreated towards the access shaft, Mia and I crept forward. Both of us had our zats out, and armed. It didn't take us long to find the five remaining Borg. I shot two of them, twice each, before looking over at Mia. She had also taken care of two, but as I watched the remaining drone knocked the zat out of her hand.  
  
Instead of reaching for it, Mia unsheathed her sword and neatly decapitated the Borg in one graceful movement. I fired a third shot at the others and they disappeared. "Clear." I said into my comm.  
  
"Does this seem almost too easy to you?" I added to Mia.  
  
"Yes." She said. "But the Borg have not come across our weapons before. As a result we were far more affective than Voyager would have been on her own."  
  
I nodded, as Chakotay's triumphant voice came over the comm. "Shields up!"  
  
It seemed we were safe for now. 


	10. Part Ten

JACK:  
  
"What happened to me?" I asked dully. They wanted to known my story?  
  
"Yes." Tom said softly. "What made you so . . . closed up?"  
  
I looked at him. The way he said it made me believe he might have felt something like this before. But I doubt he would have felt something this bad. He was too human, still. "I lost my lover, three of my best friends, and the one man who ever had so much faith in me, that he would help me, no matter what I did."  
  
I said it all as tonelessly as possible, letting no emotions in my voice. George, Sam, Janet and Teal'c. All dead, all gone. And each one took a piece of my heart when they died – all except Sam, who took it all. Her beautiful face hovered in my mind, and I closed my eyes, savouring the picture. Sometimes it was almost enough to give up, and join her wherever she is. Leave this harsh world for good.  
  
"The way you say it, you could have lost a pair of shoes!" B'Elanna snapped, breaking the silence. "You expected me to believe you feel things, Colonel? When you talk about loosing your 'best' friends like you would a uniform?"  
  
I squeezed my eyes firmer shut. "Believe what you will." I said. "I don't care."  
  
"I think you do." Janeway said softly.  
  
I gritted my teeth and forced my emotions away. I was not going to break down, I was not going to let them all out . . .  
  
"Who was she?" Janeway continued, and Sam's face appeared again.  
  
But this time it was covered in blood like it had been the last time I had seen in. I watched the light in her beautiful eyes flicker and die all over again. Before I could stop it, a tear leaked out and streamed down my cheek. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder, and looked up expecting to see Riley. But it was Janeway.  
  
I looked into her compassionate brown eyes, and felt my mouth move. "She was my 2IC, and an astrophysicist. She was brilliant. She knew more about how the universe worked than I could ever begin to imagine. But more than that, she was a fighter. Stubborn, tough, brilliant and beautiful. It was a combination that knocked me off my feet."  
  
I didn't realise it, but I began to smile sadly and wistfully, love shining in my eyes. "I remember the first time we met. She offered to arm wrestle me."  
  
Then my smile fell. "She devoted her life to freeing the Tau'ri and everyone else oppressed by the Goa'uld. And because of that, she's dead."  
  
"The Tau'ri?" Tom asked, confused.  
  
"That's the name of all humans, not matter what planet you were born on." I said absently.  
  
My thoughts were firmly stuck in the past, on that horrible day I lost almost everything I loved. "I still see her laying there, the blood seeping out of her chest, no matter what I did."  
  
Tears were streaming unheeded down my cheeks, and my voice was shaky. "She looked just like an angel, I remember thinking that. It was like she was lit up from the inside. And then the light was gone."  
  
"And that wasn't all." I continued. "I still remember Teal'c lying there, broken. He was always so strong and alive, that it was so hard to see him looking so broken, his eyes sightless and dead."  
  
By now I didn't care if anyone was listening anymore, or if anyone was actually there. I was too wrapped up in my memories, nothing mattered. "And I remember Janet, trying to help the wounded as the Jaffa as they killed her. She was trying to heal everyone else while she was dying."  
  
"If I close my eyes, I can see their faces, alive and whole. Janet with her frown while she gave you a needle. Her smile when she realised you were going to be fine. Teal'c seriousness when he was guarding our backs, and his confusion when he tried to understand us humans."  
  
At that point my voice broke. "And then there was George. General Hammond. Our leader. The man who would have done anything for his people, his friends. Who died to save us."  
  
I finally opened my eyes and looked directly at B'Elanna. "Just like Riley, I know what it feels like to die, and then to live. I know the pain of loosing the woman I loved. Loosing my best friends. Pain that slowly kills you from the inside." I took a deep breath. "And if you want begin to feel what we do, picture the man you love and the friends who you couldn't do without – and then imagine them gone, forever."  
  
JANEWAY:  
  
At the Colonel's words I closed my eyes and imagined a life without Seven, Tom, Harry, B'Elanna, Tuvok and Chakotay. And I felt dead. I couldn't begin to comprehend the pain I would feel in my heart. Especially if Chakotay was gone . . .  
  
I looked at the Jack with a greater admiration for the man, as well as sadness for what he had suffered. He had gone through so much, and now, he had just given up. And that's what made it even worse. I vowed there and then, that if I could, I would revive his fighting spirit and make him fight for life again. It was part of who he was, and without it he wasn't the great man I knew he was.  
  
He looked so pained and sad sitting there, slumped against the wall, his head hanging down and his brown eyes full of a soul-eating pain. But I didn't get a chance to offer an small comfort I could, because at that moment I was reminded of where we were and what we should be thinking of.  
  
The Borg Queen appeared in the centre of the chamber. Only a hologram, but dangerous enough. Although it was a surprise to see her in this cube. She usually didn't transmit a hologram so far. That made me wonder if she was actually quite close, but her words soon dismissed all of those thoughts.  
  
"How did you fracture your reality like that?" she asked. "We want to know."  
  
She was standing directly in front of Jack and looked at him when she said this. "We also want to know how you have learnt to control wormholes. We did not believe humans could do this."  
  
Riley stood up from where se had been sitting near her CO. She walked up to the Borg Queen, and then straight through her. "Hologram." She said absently.  
  
"We want to know. You will tell us." The Borg Queen said.  
  
"You want to know how we control wormholes?" Riley asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"We conduct a human sacrifice, dance around naked covered in blood and chanting, and pray to our deity." Riley told her. Her tone was completely deadpan.  
  
"There is no such thing as a deity." The Borg Queen said. "And your answer denotes the crude humour of your species."  
  
"You've noticed?" Riley retorted.  
  
"How do you control the wormholes?" The Borg Queen asked her question again. "And how did you fracture your reality? Answer us, we are getting impatient."  
  
"What do you mean 'fracture our reality'?" Jack asked, getting to his feet, his eyes now alert, although no less filled with pain.  
  
"Your reality is not whole." The Borg Queen said. "It has split into two parts. What exits in one, does not exists in the other."  
  
Jack stared at her, before jerking around to gaze at Riley. I caught the look in his eyes. It was full of hope and a desperate vulnerability in case his hope would prove false.  
  
"Riley . . . " He trailed off as he saw the hope and understanding in Riley's eyes.  
  
"Very well." The Borg Queen said, when she saw she was not going to get any answers. "Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile."  
  
"Resistance is never futile." Riley said as she vanished. "Because resistance breeds hope."  
  
Hope truly is a wondrous thing. I watched the two strangers in front of me, and the suddenly looked more *alive*. And alive is something I bet they hadn't felt in a long time. Then the door to the chamber swished open and four Borg drones walked in.  
  
"Captain?" Tom asked.  
  
"Let us, Captain." Said Jack.  
  
Then he turned to me, and actually smiled. It transformed his face, and I saw that fierce light of hope burning in his eyes. I wished this was not a false hope, for his sake. "By all means." I said. "As we are weaponless."  
  
"And we're not." Riley said.  
  
"The Borg would not have recognised your weapons as dangerous." Seven said, finally speaking after being silent for so long.  
  
"Well, let's prove them wrong, shall we?" Riley said.  
  
She drew one of the combat knives from her boot and handed it to Seven. "I would give you a gun, but they're probably a little different to what your used to." She whispered.  
  
"I agree." Seven replied.  
  
By this time, the Borg had backed the humans into the back corner of the room. Riley looked at Jack and Jack looked at Riley. Then, almost at exactly at the same time, they sprang forward. Riley went for her knives as Jack went for his zat.  
  
With a long blade in each hand, Riley approached the nearest drone with a feral grin on her face. She swung one in a high wide arc, spinning with it, while the other swung low. The drone dropped dead, his throat slit, and his stomach slashed open. She dodged the next drone as Tom called out, "Watch out for its left hand!"  
  
Riley dodged quickly, and barely managed to avoid the tubes sent in her direction. In response she flicked out her hand and slashed off the offending tubes, before slitting the drone's throat. She came to a stop in a crouch as she looked around her at the fallen bodies.  
  
Jack had taken care of the others with one of the most intriguing weapons I had ever seen. It looked like a coiled snake, and when armed, its dead popped up as if it was about to strike. And from it's mouth came a pulse of what looked like electricity. In that way it was rather like a phaser.  
  
But with one blast this weapon knocked the drone out. But I was curious, because Jack had shot each of the drones twice. "What did you shoot them twice?" I asked him.  
  
Jack looked at me. "Because one shot knocks you unconscious, and the second one kills. I don't want them waking up behind us."  
  
I nodded. "What is it called?" I said, meaning the weapon.  
  
"A zat gun." He said. "Or at least, that's what we call it. The Goa'uld call it something else."  
  
I nodded again. "Does it do anything else?"  
  
"Yeah." Jack said, and gave me a half smile. "Watch."  
  
He shot one of the drone's for a third time, and to my amazement, the body completely disappeared. "Wow." I said.  
  
"I hate to interrupt." Tom said, from where he was standing by the door. "But I think we should get out of here."  
  
"Yes." I said, shocked that I had let my curiosity get the better of my. I was a Starfleet Captain! I did not stand around having a conversation when my ship and crew were in danger!  
  
"Any ideas how?" I asked, my tone business-like.  
  
"The zat should short circuit the locking mechanism." Jack said. "It's worked before."  
  
I nodded my permission. He stepped up to the door and took aim. The blast hit the door with a funny whining sound, and there was a faint swish. "The door's a little open at the edge!" Tom said excitedly, after he had examined the door.  
  
Together, Tom, Jack and Riley managed to push the door open enough for us to slip out. Jack gave one of his knives to me, as Riley gave one of her long knives to B'Elanna, and the other to Tom. "It's not much," said Jack. "But it should help if you need it."  
  
And with a deep breath, I nodded and led the way out of the assimilation chamber, and into the bowels of the Borg Cube. 


	11. Part Eleven

MIA:  
  
"Shields up!" I heard the triumph in Commander Chakotay's voice and almost smiled.  
  
He sounded just like one of the young warriors of the tribe when he, or she, achieved something the elders would be proud of. Then his tone changed to one of frustration and annoyance. "All security teams, there are ten more Borg drones onboard. The beamed in just before we got the shields up!"  
  
I turned to Daniel. "It seems you were right, Daniel." I said. "It was too easy."  
  
Daniel shook his head wryly. "You know, it wasn't a complaint. I wish things would be 'too easy' for once!"  
  
Lieutenant Michaels chuckled, even as he watched and guarded the corridor. "I know what you mean." He said.  
  
"Dr. Jackson." Chakotay said over the comm. "Could you and Mia deal with the remaining drones?"  
  
Daniel looked at me, and I nodded. Whether we could or not was not the question – even though I knew Chakotay would not let us fight them unless we could – we had to help get their crew back, and our team mates back. It was the least we could do.  
  
"Yes Commander." Daniel said.  
  
I bent and picked up my zat gun and holstered it. "Where are the drones?" I asked.  
  
"Follow the corridor to the next junction. They're in the corridor to the right." Chakotay told us.  
  
I drew my sword again and started down the corridor, Daniel a step in front of me, his zat charged and ready. On an impulse I unholstered my zat and held it out to Daniel. "Take it." I said.  
  
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but took the zat. "You go first," I continued. "That way I'll clean up when they adapt."  
  
Daniel nodded. "Okay."  
  
We reached the junction without a problem, and quickly veered off to the right. It didn't take long to find the drones. They were busy turning this section of Voyager into something else entirely. As soon as Daniel saw them, he began firing, and before long five of them were dead. But then they adapted, and the blasts from the zat didn't even seem to slow them down.  
  
When I saw that, I leapt forward and neatly decapitated the nearest drone. I let my body take over and my movements flowed into each other like I had been taught and trained to do. I sliced the belly of one, and stabbed another. I had to yank my sword out of the drone, and whirled, just to see the drone that was about to attack me collapse, Daniel's knife sticking out of his throat.  
  
I glanced gratefully at him before returning my attention to the remaining two drones. One of them attacked with two tubes shooting out of its right hand, and I dodged quickly, cutting its hand off at the wrist, before whirling around so we were back to back, and stabbing backwards. The drone crumpled and fell, sliding off my blade as I kicked the drone in front of me, and swung my sword in an arc, cutting it down where it stood.  
  
"All clear." Daniel said into his comm.  
  
"Good. Head back to the command post." Chakotay ordered.  
  
Daniel and I quickly jogged back to the access shaft and slipped through it to the command post, only to find it almost deserted. Ensign Harry Kim came up to us when he saw us, and noticed us looking around. "We did a detailed sweep of the ship while you were, ah, busy and we didn't find anymore drones. So the commander ordered everyone to help repair the rest of the ship." He explained.  
  
I nodded. "What can we do?"  
  
"Well, you both look exhausted, so Commander Chakotay has assigned you both quarters." Harry said. ""Mia will be bunking with Lieutenant Peters and Dr. Jackson with me."  
  
Daniel looked grateful. "Thank you." He said to Harry.  
  
"I'll show you to your quarters." Harry said, but I shook my head.  
  
"No need. I wish to return to the bridge." I held up my hand to halt Harry before he spoke. "I'll be fine. And I can find my own way."  
  
Daniel nodded at me, and I turned and walked in the direction of the bridge. It didn't take me long to find my way. The bridge was just like it had been before I had left – except for maybe the wires that now ran across everything as systems were repaired as quickly as possible. But the organised chaos was still all over the place.  
  
I walked over to the Commander, who was standing at one of the stations with Tuvok. "Anything I can do to help?" I asked.  
  
Chakotay looked up in surprise, as if not expecting me to be here. But then I suppose he wasn't. Tuvok, on the other hand, didn't look surprised at all, but I could have sworn there was a twitching at the side of his mouth as if he wanted to smile. "I don't suppose you know how to fix the navigation systems, do you?" Chakotay asked hopefully.  
  
He looked completely exhausted, frustrated and scared. I knew he wanted to fix Voyager as fast as possible so that he could save his missing crew, as well as protect the others. "No." I said. "But I'm sure I should be able to do some fetching and carrying or rudimentary fixing, while someone else helped you with the navigation systems."  
  
Chakotay smiled gratefully at me. "Thank you." Then he raised his voice. "Peters! Get Mia fixing the basic circuits, then help Jones!"  
  
So for the next two hours, I learnt how to repair basic circuits and simple systems onboard Voyager. I was grateful for my quick fingers after a while, since most of the systems I repaired were very damaged, and stuck in out of the way places. I had just gotten up from underneath a consol when I noticed that many of the personnel on the bridge had disappeared.  
  
Chakotay broke away from where he had been talking to Tuvok and Harry Kim, and wandered over. "You look like you need a rest." He said when he was standing next to me.  
  
"So do you." I told him, smiling slightly.  
  
He smiled back. "I do." He agreed. "But I won't get any rest for a while yet – although you can. The remaining systems are being fixed by the crew, and most of them are sleeping anyway. We'll be fine."  
  
"And the Borg Cube is still sitting there?" I asked.  
  
"Yes." Chakotay frowned. "They have to know that we have our shields back up, but they haven't moved."  
  
"Perhaps it is because their attention is elsewhere." Tuvok suggested as he walked up. "Captain Janeway could be making this difficult for the Borg."  
  
"If she isn't." I said. "The Colonel would be. He is a man of action, and does not like sitting around."  
  
"All the same, you should get your rest while you still can." Chakotay said to me. "You can use the Captain's ready room, if you like, so you'll be able to hear if anything happens."  
  
"Thank you, Commander." I said.  
  
I walked into the 'ready room' that Chakotay had pointed out, and gratefully spotted the couch along the side of the room underneath a window that showed black space covered with stars. Barely stopping to take off my weapons and jacket, I pulled the blanket I had been given over me and fell promptly to sleep. And fortunately, it was also dreamless.  
  
* * *  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
I blinked my eyes tiredly as the doors to the bridge slid open, and I knew I had to keep going. They felt gritty and sore from lack of sleep and I was struggling to keep them open. I looked up gratefully when Harry entered the bridge, having finally finished all the repair duties I had given him. Voyager was now almost entirely up and running. It wasn't the best repair job we had ever done, but it would do.  
  
Harry stopped to talk to Tuvok and me for a minute, and was surprised to see Mia climb out from underneath a consol. I smiled slightly at his expression. Mia looked even worse than I felt did, and he felt *tired*. I nodded to Harry, before walking over to her. "You should get some sleep." I said. Surprisingly, she didn't argue. "I think I will." She said, and headed towards the ready room with the blanket I had given her in her hands.  
  
I walked over to where Harry and Tuvok were standing. Both of them had expressions of worry on their faces. "Sir, you should get some sleep." Harry said. "I can take over here, and let you know if anything happens." He smiled faintly. "Technically, it's the nightshift anyway."  
  
I nodded. The Captain often left Harry in command of the nightshift, and I was grateful for that because I knew he could handle it now. "I might just do that." One or two hours sleep sounded like heaven.  
  
"Unfortunately, Commander, I must disagree with this." Tuvok said in his level tone.  
  
I looked at him sharply. I was sure that between the two of them, he and Harry would be able to mind the ship for a few hours. And Tuvok himself had mentioned I should get some sleep about an hour ago too. But Tuvok continued, ignoring me. "The Borg Cube has begun to move, and is setting a trajectory to leave the system."  
  
Damn! I almost muttered the word out loud, and then smiled at the irony of it. Humans had long since stopped using swear words, but out of all the words I knew, this one seemed the most appropriate. It was slightly funny, or would have been if I wasn't so worried about the news that had caused it.  
  
I strode quickly over to the command chair and pressed a button on its arm. "Ensign Morelli, what is the condition of the engines?" I snapped, tense and worried.  
  
"They're working well enough, sir, but we won't be able to push them very hard." Morelli replied.  
  
"Do you best to keep them running." I told him.  
  
I looked up and saw Ensign Madison at the helm. "Set a course to follow that ship!" I ordered. "I don't want it to leave sensor range."  
  
"Aye, sir." Madison replied.  
  
Voyager began to power up her engines and soon we lurched forward to follow the Borg Cube which was rapidly disappearing. I winced slightly, and wished for Tom's smooth hands at the controls. "Lock phasers and prepare to fire." I ordered as we got closer to the Cube. "Tuvok, I want that ship dead in space."  
  
"Aye, Commander." Tuvok replied.  
  
The battle was short and easy. Voyager was able to disable the Cube after a few passes, or at least seemed to. I frowned. That was too easy. Then, to my absolute surprise, a large section of the Cube exploded, causing the Cube to shudder to a complete stop.  
  
"The engines are no longer functioning." Tuvok said. "The Borg Cube is disabled."  
  
"Hold fire." I said.  
  
Then I allowed myself a smile. It seems as if the Captain was not just sitting around! And neither would anyone else, if Chakotay knew them. Even their new guests wouldn't have just sat there. "It there any way to get a transporter through those shields?" I asked.  
  
"Not as yet, sir." Harry said. "Borg shields are still holding tight."  
  
"Target their shield generators, Tuvok." I said.  
  
"Aye, Commander."  
  
Tuvok continued to fire phasers at the Borg Cube. We had to get those shields down! Once we had, then we could find the Captain and the rest of the missing crew. Almost unconsciously, I tensed my shoulders and sat on the edge of the chair.  
  
"Commander..." Tuvok began.  
  
But he didn't get to finish, because as I stared at the screen in front of me, the Borg Cube was blown up in a series of violent explosions. The already wounded Voyager was buffeted by the resulting waves and a bright light filled the bridge. I was slammed back into the chair and through a hand up to cover my eyes.  
  
When I could finally see again, I looked at the screen again. All that was left of the Borg Cube was a group of drifting debris. "What happened?" I snapped.  
  
"It appears the Borg Cube has been destroyed." Tuvok said. "I believe the explosions started within the transwarp coil and spread outwards, destroying the ship."  
  
"And what's our status?" I asked, still stunned by the destruction of the cube, and not wanting to think about what that would mean.  
  
"Shields at 63%, no hull damage, phasers still online." Harry answered from his station.  
  
Then I heard the door to the Captain's ready room open. "Commander." Said Mia. "What just happened?"  
  
I turned to face her, and was surprised by her appearance. While the pants and singlet she was wearing might not have surprised me, the curling, bold and intricate tattoos on her shoulders and arms did. I blinked at her for a second, before her question sunk in.  
  
"The Borg Cube just exploded."  
  
"The Colonel? Your Captain?" she asked.  
  
I shook my head. "They are presumed dead." I said and felt my eyes begin to sting. And as the meaning of those words hit me, a single tear rolled down my face. 


	12. Part Twelve

Author's Note: To EYES (if they ever read this again) – I just wanted to say something. While you are quite entitled not to like my stories, I feel I have to point out that knives are effective and SILENT weapons that can be used in many situations that guns cannot. I don't see why it is wrong for my characters to carry them, considering what they are.  
  
And another point is that it is quite possible for people of other cultures to use different weapons – as both seen on Stargate: SG-1 and Star Trek: Voyager. Mia carries a sword because she comes from a different culture than that of Earth, and is therefore not subject to military standards – just like Teal'c.  
  
P.S: I'm sorry about that, but I felt the need to explain my story. I rather like it the way it is, and hope most people do too!  
~Cheeky.  
  
* * *  
  
JANEWAY:  
  
I crept through the Borg Cube, careful not to let any of the drones catch sight of me. They probably wouldn't attack, because I was careful not to look threatening in any way, but it was best to be cautious. Colonel O'Neill was a few steps behind me, as was Tom. The others – B'Elanna, Seven and Lieutenant Colonel Riley – had left a while ago, and were going in a different direction to us.  
  
We had all thought that would be the best idea, so that if one team was captured, the other might still survive. And it also helped that both Riley and O'Neill had some kind of ancient explosive called C4 that they guaranteed would destroy the Borg engines and transwarp coil. While I was a little sceptical about that, I trusted Jack. And if said it would work, then it probably would.  
  
Trusting Jack, and for that matter Riley, was something that was instinctive as well as logical. Something about Jack, not only made me want to help him like I would help any member of my crew, it also made me believe that once his loyalty and word was given, they would not be broken unless you betrayed him. He reminded me of Chakotay like that.  
  
Thoughts of Chakotay and my crew brought my thoughts back to Voyager. Oh, I hope they would have her up and running soon! Quite aside from the obvious need of rescue, I also wanted Voyager up and running again, because there was something almost painful to a Captain to seeing her ship unable to fly. Voyager hanging in space like that was like a blind and wounded warrior. It simply seemed sad and somehow wrong.  
  
Finally we reached our destination: the transwarp coil. It had taken us longer than I had thought it would, but when I glanced at Jack, he nodded. We were still on time then. Both Jack and I had agreed that it would be dangerous to communicate with each other once we had split up, both via comm. link and radio. So we had no way of knowing if the others in position, except for the faith that Jack had in Riley and her ability to be in position at the right time.  
  
He glanced at the band on his wrist – I believe it was a old 'watch' – and then mouthed, "Five minutes!" I nodded, and joined Tom at the door. We glanced into the room and noticed the two Borg drones stationed in the room. Damn. We needed to get of them, and as soon as we did, all the drones would know where we were.  
  
Before either Tom or I could do anything, Jack had slipped into the room, and had quickly and efficiently slit one drones throat. Tom was a beat behind him, knocking him out with the 'zat' gun. Before we had split, Jack had shown him how to use it. It was rather like a phaser, in the fact that it could stun as well as kill and emitted a pulse of energy.  
  
Tom and I guarded the door while Jack set the charge. I glanced quickly at him, as I could already hear the drones approaching, but he was almost finished. It hadn't taken him more than about a minute. Jack checked his watch as I turned back to the door. "How much longer Colonel?" I asked softly.  
  
"Fifteen seconds." He replied just as quietly.  
  
I watched the drones approach, their eerie eyes fixed on us. A shiver of fear ran down my spine as I recognised the features of familiar species. That's what scared me the most about the Borg – the inhuman movements of familiar faces. You could recognise them for what they had been, but you were always reminded of what they were now. Part of something else, no longer individual. And the thought of that terrified me more than I was willing to admit. It was that loss of uniqueness and individuality that made us different from everyone else.  
  
The drones had almost reached us by now and I watched that gap getting smaller and smaller. Fifteen meters...ten meters...  
  
"Done." Jack said, and his words prompted us into movement.  
  
Tom slammed the button to shut the door and then shot it with the zat, halting the Borg for a time. Meanwhile I raced over to Jack, who gave me a boost up towards the ceiling in one efficient movement – and directly under ventilation grate. I slipped it off quickly and hauled myself inside. Then I braced myself against the sides and reached down to give Tom a hand. Once he was up, the two of us pulled Jack into the vent and shut it, a second before the Borg managed to override the malfunction and entered the room.  
  
As quietly as possible we slipped through the ventilation system across the cube. I began counting the vents as soon as we had started moving and focused on the directions Seven had given me. It was all we had, because Borg cubes were designed to look the same all over. Which made it hard to navigate when you could be anywhere on the ship.  
  
As we crawled along the tunnel I heard the occasional grunts and curses from the two men behind me. They were having trouble moving quickly because the vents were so narrow – and for once I was glad I was "petite". It made things a lot easier...but I would never admit that to anyone else.  
  
Eventually we reached the vent we needed to exit from. And it wasn't soon enough – we had been crawling for ten minutes, which meant we had five minutes before our charge went off. Or at least, I hoped it would. Jack was confidant that the technology was too basic for them to adapt to. He had muttered something about it happening before, but I didn't want to ask because of the pain I heard behind those words.  
  
I carefully eased the vent covering back, revealing an empty corridor...or at least what I could see of it was empty. I braced myself against the edges of the vent and peered at the corridor from a better vantage point. "All clear." I said.  
  
But just as I had levered myself up again, Jack tapped my foot. "Let me go first." He said.  
  
I glanced back at his serious face, and there must have been something in my expression because he added gruffly, "I'm better armed than you and we need you for the technical stuff anyway."  
  
I gave him a wry half smile and he raised an eyebrow in return. I knew the other reason Jack wanted to go first, even though he didn't say it. He didn't have to. I was the Captain of Voyager and nobody wanted me injured or killed by the Borg.  
  
Carefully, I slipped past the vent opening so that Jack could slip down after checking the corridor again. Once he had called the all clear, I slipped down and dropped quietly to the metal floor. Tom dropped down a second after me. As soon as he had, he gave me a boost so I could close the vent. "Let's go." I said once I had finished.  
  
We headed off down the corridor to the right. It didn't take very long for us to run into a group of Borg drones working in the corridor. We ducked around a corner before they could see us. "Can we go around them?" Tom asked me.  
  
I thought back to the directions Seven had given me and everything I knew about Borg Cubes. Then I nodded. "Yes, I think so."  
  
"Good." Jack said. "Because we have four and a half minutes before we need to be out of here."  
  
I nodded again and set off down the corridor on the left. The detour took a minute or so, and we managed to successfully avoid the drones. We kept going, winding our way quickly through a maze of identical corridors, having to duck around corners to avoid the odd group of drones walking around.  
  
A few meters from our meeting point we hit a problem. There were a set of occupied Borg alcoves blocking the corridor. Tom looked to me for instructions. I looked at Jack and he shook his head. We didn't have time to go around, so I did the only thing I could. I motioned Tom forward. He looked at me in surprise, but followed my unspoken order anyway.  
  
Jack, Tom and I then pent one of the longest and most agonising minutes of my life creeping through the corridor. My nerves felt as if they were jumping out of my skin and my stomach was tying itself in knots, But I let none of it show on my face. The last few steps were the worst. We were so close...  
  
And then finally we were through and around the corner. I sighed with relief and heard the others doing the same behind me. Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I increased my pace a fraction and glanced at Jack, who had come up beside me. "How long?" I asked.  
  
"Two minutes." He replied.  
  
A second later we rounded a corner and came face to face with Riley, Seven and B'Elanna. "Colonel." Riley greeted.  
  
"Lieutenant." Jack replied.  
  
I took a second look over the rest of my crew. Tom, who had gone to stand next to B'Elanna, was slightly rumpled and dirt smeared, as were Seven and B'Elanna. But there were no injuries besides a few bruises, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Well," I said, "shall we find the exit?"  
  
* * *  
  
RILEY:  
  
As I followed Seven and B'Elanna down the maze of identical corridors, I let part of my mind wander. By now it was instinct to watch for and process threats. Years of military training and fighting the Goa'uld had given me the skill to be able to separate parts of my mind, so I'm on constant alert without even realising it.  
  
I was still on edge from the confrontation in the assimilation chamber. Emotions I had always been able to hide or ignore were bubbling to the surface. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't bury them anymore. I could feel it all tearing me up inside in an almost detached way. And that scared me far more than the emotions themselves. What had I let myself become?  
  
And what absolutely terrified me was that I was going to have to deal with all the sadness, grief, frustration and anger I had been suppressing for almost a year. I didn't want to go through all that again. The first time had almost destroyed me. I felt as if I was going mad with it all. I would have quite happily curled up into a little ball in a corner at that moment and just stopped fighting. But I had always been a fighter, and I couldn't just give up. And then suddenly we were at the shield generator and I wrenched my mind fully onto the task at hand with a sigh of relief.  
  
I quickly wired the C4 with nimble and practiced fingers, before I set the timer. The little red numbers stared at me from the clock, but remained unmoving. This would be the hard part. I had to set this exactly right, so that the Colonel set his, the charges would be 60 seconds apart.  
  
"Done." I said, as the numbers began their countdown. "Six minutes."  
  
Seven nodded, and I slipped out of the room without a word. B'Elanna looked at me for a second before following her. We moved quickly down the corridor, with Seven leading the way. Almost unconsciously my hands hovered near my guns, an instinctive reaction to the dangerous situation thanks to years of military training and fighting the Goa'uld.  
  
I noticed as we slipped along the corridor that B'Elanna kept shooting glances at me. They weren't quite hostile, but they weren't exactly friendly either. I was wary for a minute, and then shrugged it off. I'd deal with it when we got off this ship, because now was not the time or the place.  
  
It was fairly easy to avoid the various drones with Seven's knowledge of the Cube – which was only helped by the fact it hadn't changed much, if at all. As a result we reached the meeting place about a minute before the rendezvous. I looked at Seven. "We have a minute to wait." I told her. "Will we be alright here?"  
  
"Yes." Seven replied. "We will be moving again before the detect us."  
  
"What about the drones?" B'Elanna asked softly.  
  
"Drones only access this room if the systems are damaged." Seven replied just as softly.  
  
There was a movement of silence before B'Elanna spoke again. "How long?" she asked, and I could hear the tension in her voice.  
  
"Two and a half minutes." I replied.  
  
Nervously, B'Elanna fingered the hilt of the knife I had given her. "Where are they?" I heard her mutter under her breath.  
  
Thirty seconds slowly passed and I was reminded of an old physics class back in high school and Einstein's theory of relativity. I have no idea why I though of it, but I did. It just sort of popped into my head. For us, each second seemed like an hour ticking slowly by, whereas in the middle of a fight, 30 seconds can disappear in the blink of an eye. Thankfully I was saved from the insane ramblings of my mind by the arrival of the Colonel, Captain Janeway and Tom Paris.  
  
"Colonel." I greeted looking him over.  
  
He was dirty and rumpled, but I couldn't see any injuries. He gave me a slight nod, and I knew that he had successfully set the charge. "Lieutenant." He replied.  
  
"Well," Janeway said, breaking the silence. "Shall we find the exit?"  
  
"Indeed, Captain." Seven replied.  
  
Together we slipped out of the small unremarkable room that had served as a rendezvous point, and began walking down the corridor once more. The transporter room, to which we were heading, was only a few meters down the corridor. Jack and I took the lead, drawing our guns. It didn't matter who heard us now. There were five drones in the room. Jack and I shot them, and the were dead before they could even finish turning around. The cold efficiency of our movements shocked a part of me that felt like it was just waking up. And I thought again, what have I turned into?  
  
But no matter, because we had to get out of here. As soon as the room was safe, Seven and Janeway began powering up or programming foreign bit of technology. I had no idea what they were doing, except getting ready to get us out of here, and that's all I really needed to know. Jack and I turned back to the door, to where drones were coming down the corridor in response to the earlier shots.  
  
As soon as they got in range, Jack and I began firing again until the bullets didn't seem to do more than slow them down. Damn, those things adapted fast! Vaguely, I felt B'Elanna and Tom step up behind us. But I ignored them, drawing my zat. I fired at the approaching drones. Then when I saw that it wouldn't really make much difference, I slammed the door shut and fired at the controls.  
  
"How long?" I heard Jack ask behind me, as I realised that Tom had been using the Colonel's zat against the Borg.  
  
"Now." Seven said.  
  
Quickly, the six of us ran to the small platform that signalled the base of the transporter. I felt the tingling sensation, so familiar from the Goa'uld transport rings, and suddenly we were somewhere else. Which was just as well, because it was at the moment that one side of the Borg Cube exploded, and the rest quickly followed...until all that was left was a pile of drifting debris. 


	13. Part Thirteen

Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews! I'm glad you like my story, and I'm sorry stcobb, but there's a bit to go before the end! And this nice long chapter should help! ~Cheeky.  
  
DANIEL:  
  
I blinked my eyes sleepily as I sat up on the couch, the blankets pooling around my waist. It took me a while to work out where I was. Harry's quarters. And they fit him well, with the elegant décor and musical instruments. I sighed and ran my hand over my face. I wasn't feeling much better, despite the sleep. I was vaguely aware of being plagued nightmares again, but I couldn't really remember what they were. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not, the not remembering. I blinked back sudden tears. Janet would have known.  
  
Just as I was about to get up and go back to the bridge, the door swished open and Harry entered. Harry looked almost the opposite of his normal neat and calm self. His uniform was rumpled and he looked upset. I got to my feet. "Harry, what happened?" I asked softly.  
  
He looked at me, faintly surprised. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"You didn't." I replied.  
  
Harry sat down on the couch with a sigh and rubbed his temples. Then he looked at me with pain in his brown eyes. "I'm sorry Daniel." He said. "While you were sleeping, the Borg Cube left orbit. We gave chase, but before we could really do anything, the Cube exploded."  
  
I took a moment to digest the information. I couldn't help but give a small smile. I could almost guarantee that jack was responsible, at least in part, for the explosion. He wasn't a man to just sit around and wait. "Are they on board?" I asked.  
  
Harry looked at me, his expression tortured. "No, Daniel..." he trailed off. "They're dead."  
  
"Dead?" I repeated dumbly, my brain refusing to accept it.  
  
"We can't find any trace of them anywhere." Harry said. "Seven, B'Elanna, the Captain...they're just gone."  
  
I sat down on the couch, feeling...nothing. I was empty inside. Completely hollow. And then I felt something snap within me, as if that was the final straw and I just crumpled. Tears poured down my face as images flashed through my mind. Jack looking bored in a briefing. Sam smiling with excitement as she discovered something in her lab. Teal'c raising an eyebrow in puzzlement at some human saying. Janet bossing around a team of Marines. Images of what we used to be. What I used to be.  
  
My world contracted to the images in my head and the pain in my heart. Everything else ceased to exist. Finally everything I had refused to feel for the past year found a way out and I couldn't stop it. Nor did I really want to. I felt a wave of absolute despair wash over me, as if nothing was worth living for anymore. They were all gone: Janet, Jack, Sam, Teal'c, General Hammond, Riley...  
  
The world I had once inhabited was gone too. Destroyed because the people that I had considered family were gone. And I missed them so much. Their smiles. Their jokes. Jack's sarcastic wit. Sam's brilliance. Teal'c's eyebrow. Even Janet's needles. I had a deep craving and need to see and experience it all again, despite my despair, despite being far from home, despite their deaths.  
  
Then I felt a surge of anger, not just directed at the Goa'uld and the Borg, who were responsible fro their deaths, but at *them*. How dare they die! How could they just let go? Damn it, why didn't they fight? Why did they have to die?  
  
A detached part of me knew that the anger was irrational, that they didn't choose to die. They didn't give up. If they could have, they would be right here next to me. But that part of my mind had no effect or control over the emotions I was feeling. I was consumed by grief and irrational anger, and it was drawing me ever closer to madness.  
  
"Daniel?" a soft voice asked, as a hand comfortingly gripped my shoulder.  
  
I opened my eyes without having realised I shut them and stared at Harry's blurred and concerned face. And the words just poured out. "He was my best friend. He held me together when I would have just fallen apart." I whispered, my voice harsh with pain and grief. "And he was the last reminder of who I once was, what I once did."  
  
My voice cracked on the last word, and the tears fell faster. "Now I'm the only one left."  
  
"Tell me." Harry said softly.  
  
And I did. Everything came out. The first time I ever saw the Stargate. My work to decode it. Metting Jack for the first time. The suicide mission to Abydoss. His depression over Charlie's death. Sha're, my wife. The first time I met Sam. Our first meeting with the Goa'uld. How Teal'c helped us against Apophis. The races we've helped. The Asgard. Sha're son. Oma. How Jack and Sam finally admitted their feelings towards each other. Falling in love with Janet. General Hammond going missing. Jack cradling Sam in his arms as she died. Teal'c trying to help us escape with his last breath. Janet's final words to me: Don't get into trouble, love. The weeks of pain at the hands of the Goa'uld. Being rescued. Meeting Riley and Mia. And my pledge to destroy the Goa'uld.  
  
All the way through my epic story, Harry had listened with a respectful and pain-filled expression. After another minute, he finally spoke. "That's an amazing story, Daniel."  
  
I looked over at him, wiping the tears from my face. "No more that yours."  
  
Harry smiled softly. "We just got lost. You're saving the entire human race."  
  
"No. We destroy the Goa'uld. We've stopped helping those who need it. We're nothing special."  
  
And we weren't. Yes, we'd seen pain, but so had the crew of Voyager. The difference was that they were still helping people. We had just given up.  
  
"How can you say that?" Harry asked, surprised. "After all the Goa'uld you've stopped? All the people you've helped?"  
  
"We used to help people." I said. "Now we hold our pain around us like a shield, letting nothing in." I looked at Harry, mentally begging him to understand. "We stopped caring."  
  
Harry looked at me for a minute, puzzled. "But how could you stop caring?"  
  
I smiled at that. A real, honest smile and my soul suddenly felt lighter. Harry looked at me even more puzzled than before. "What?" he asked me.  
  
"You remind me of a rather innocent and idealistic man who once tried to save the entire universe. He lost his innocence and many friends, and gave up. But the he found new hope thanks to new friends."  
  
Harry smiled softly. "Have you really found new hope, Daniel?"  
  
"Yes, Harry." I said. "Oh, yes."  
  
* * *  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
I sat in the command chair and watched the bridge around me. Three hours and nothing. Tom, B'Elanna and the Captain had seemingly disappeared along with our new friends. Kathryn. Her beautiful face floated in my mind for a second. I just couldn't believe they were dead. They couldn't be. She couldn't be.  
  
"You need rest Commander." Tuvok said from behind me, breaking into my thoughts.  
  
"So do you." I said as I turned towards him.  
  
"Indeed." He agreed in his normal level tone. "But I suggest it is more important for the commander of the ship to rest, than the tactical officer."  
  
I looked at his expression, or what there was of it. "I know." I agreed.  
  
Tuvok nodded. "Then perhaps you should. I will contact you as soon as we know anything."  
  
I smiled tiredly at Tuvok. "Thank you."  
  
For the past couple of hours, ever since the Borg Cube had exploded, we had been constantly scanning everything in the area for some sign of our missing crew. But we had found nothing. Despite that, no one was giving up. Captain Janeway was a woman who had never left a member of the crew behind. She had never stopped trying to find a way home. So no one was going to give up on her.  
  
I stood up and walked into the Captain's ready room. I would just curl up on the couch for a few hours, and I would be close to the bridge if the needed me. The door swished shut behind me and I sank down onto the nearby couch. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, but I didn't think I could get any sleep. My thoughts were just too chaotic.  
  
I heard the door swish open and Mia walked in carrying a mug of tea. She walked over and handed it to me. "You look like you need this." She said.  
  
"Thank you." I replied gratefully.  
  
I took a sip of the hot, soothing liquid and was pleasantly surprised at the sweet, tangy taste. I looked at Mia curiously and could have sworn I saw a ghost of a smile pass over her face. "It's not the same as the tea I am used to." She said. "But it's close."  
  
"I see you've met Neelix." I said.  
  
"Yes." This time Mia did smile faintly. "He's very curious and talkative."  
  
I smiled. "That's Neelix."  
  
I drank the tea, letting the warmth and the taste sooth me. I felt slightly better after that and sank tiredly back into the blankets. "The tea should help you sleep." Mia said. "And don't worry about your Captain. If there is one thing I've learnt about you humans from Earth, it is that you are stubborn, wilful and incredibly hard to kill."  
  
I smiled faintly at that, as I felt myself drifting off to sleep. "You sound as if you find that annoying." I said.  
  
"No." Mia answered. "Just unsettling. No matter how many times I can think you are dead, you just keep turning up again."  
  
And that was true. Time and time again, Voyager and her crew had thwarted death and survived. Her Captain was no different. I tried to open my eyes to look at Mia again, but my eyes refused to open and then I fell asleep.  
  
The next thing I was aware of was slowly blinking my eyes open and forcing my exhausted body to sit up. I needed to see how the search was going. I blinked a couple of times to try and get my eyes to focus. As I did I spotted Mia sitting cross legged on the floor with her eyes closed. I looked at her and felt a stab of sympathy. She had that tired and haggard look of someone who hasn't had time to grieve. I knew that look simply because it had stared at me out of the mirror for a long time.  
  
As I watched, Mia's startling eyes flickered open. "Hello." She said.  
  
"Hello." I echoed.  
  
Because Mia was still only wearing a tank top and trousers, I could see the hard muscles beneath her golden skin and the startling and complex tattoos on her arms and shoulders. Unconsciously, my hand came up and traced my own tattoo on my forehead. Mia smiled slightly when she noticed and rose gracefully to her feet. "Where did you get that?" she asked softly.  
  
"I took it after my tribe was killed to honour my father and my ancestors." I said as I felt the familiar pang of sadness and regret.  
  
"That's why I took these, too." Mia said, indicating a series of complex bands around each of her arms.  
  
"And why you fight." I stated rather than asked.  
  
"Yes." Mia agreed, looking at my curiously. "You know what its like, don't you?"  
  
Mia's tone was wistful when she said that, and it surprised me. I realised that, whether she knew it or not, she wanted someone to understand what she was going through and just to listen to her. Like Kathryn had done for me. At her name I felt a stab of sadness mixed with hope, although I only ever dared use her nae in my head. She had to be out there somewhere. She had to.  
  
I dragged my thoughts away from my Captain and looked back at Mia. And for the first time, I noticed the innocence in her eyes. "How old are you, Mia?" I asked.  
  
"I'm eighteen in Earth years." She replied.  
  
I almost started at that. She was so young! And you didn't realise how young she was because she sounded and acted so much older. "I was sixteen when the Goa'uld killed my people." She added softly.  
  
"I was older when my tribe was killed." I said. "Although that didn't make it any easier. Not did the fact that I had rebelled against my father's teachings, believing the past was not important."  
  
"But it is." Mia said, her tone understanding. "The past is the most important thing we have."  
  
"No." I said. "The future is. Without the past we can make the same mistakes and loose some of what we are, but without the future we loose everything. We loose hope."  
  
"Hope?" Mia said harshly, her voice full of pain. "Hope is an illusion."  
  
I shook my head sadly. "Hope is very real, Mia." I told her. "Hope gives us strength and holds us together when we would otherwise fall apart."  
  
"No!" Mia snapped. "Hope makes the pain worse. Do you know how long I hoped that someone else had survived the attack? Hoped that I was not the only one? Only to have that hope destroyed as I buried my family, my friends and my people?"  
  
"I have a good idea." I said as I remembered the weeks after seeing my planet ripped apart. "Just as I know why you swore revenge on your enemies. Why you are willing to hunt them down to extinction. Because you believe you have nothing left. But you do, Mia."  
  
"What do I have?"  
  
"Hope. Hope that you will find others to love, just like you loved your people. That you will find new friends. A new family. It will never be the same, but that does not mean it is not as worthwhile."  
  
"And your friends on Voyager?" Mia whispered, her voice barely audible. "Do they make it better?"  
  
"Yes." I said. "Because I know I am loved, and my friends helped me to understand that even had I been there, I could not have saved my people – and no matter how many Cardassians I kill, it's not going to bring them back."  
  
I smiled softly as I thought of everything they had done for me. They were my family and they would do anything for me, just as I would do anything for them.  
  
"I miss them so much." Mia whispered in a broken voice, tears streaming down her face. "How can I feel anything like that again?"  
  
She broke into noisy sobs at that and I stood up and did the only thing I could to give her comfort. I wrapped my arms around her and held her as she grieved for everyone she had lost. A while later the door swished open and Tuvok entered. "Commander?" he asked.  
  
"Come in, Tuvok." I said, releasing my hold on Mia, even as she pulled me closer.  
  
She looked up at me with anguish filled silver eyes. "I...I don't..."  
  
"Shh." I stopped her. "You can."  
  
I knew very well the doubts that would be floating around her head right now. How could anything be the same? But she had begun to grieve and that was the important thing. I spotted movement behind Tuvok and Daniel slipped into the room. He looked at me and then at Mia.  
  
"Hey Mia." He said softly, and held out his arms.  
  
Mia looked at me again, and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Commader. For understanding." She said, before turning to Daniel.  
  
The two of them looked at each other, both in pain and both beginning to grieve. Daniel put his arms around Mia and guided her to the couch as I slipped out. The door swished shut behind me. "Get Harry to keep and eye on them." I told Tuvok.  
  
"I will." He replied. "We have completed the detailed scans, Commander." He continued. "But we have found no sign of the missing crew."  
  
He held up a hand, stopping me before I could interrupt. "But there is one planet we have been unable to scan. Ions in the atmosphere prevent our scanner from penetrating very far. I suspect that it could also be hampering any communications signals from the surface of the planet."  
  
"Do you think that's where they are?" I asked him.  
  
"I believe so." Tuvok said. "I have been over my readings of the explosion and believe there might have been a small burst of energy just before the Cube was destroyed. The burst is consistent with a transporter beam."  
  
I took a deep breath and felt real hope blossom inside me. "What can we do?"  
  
"I would suggest sending a pilot in the Delta Flyer to do a visual scan of the planet. The scanner may also be able to work within the atmosphere."  
  
"Good idea." I said. "Thank you Tuvok."  
  
Tuvok simply nodded and returned to his post. Sometimes I wondered what we would do without Tuvok. I know his constant presence and calm always helped me when situations got tense. And I know it would be even more so for Kathryn, since Tuvok was an old friend. The thought of her name brought me back to the present.  
  
"Ensign Madison." I called.  
  
"Aye, sir?" Madison said from the helm.  
  
"Prep the Delta Flyer. You'll be piloting the shuttle. We're going to see if we can get some scans of that planet." I vaguely motioned to the large planet in the viewscreen.  
  
"Aye, sir!" Madison said, excitement clear in her voice.  
  
In fact, at my words the entire bridge crew perked up. Could we really have found the Captain? I hope so, more than I was willing to admit. Kathryn was more to me than just my Captain. I'm not sure I could finish this journey without her.  
  
"Tuvok, can you manage to take command for a few more hours?" I asked softly to the Vulcan. "If you can't, I understand. You've done so much already."  
  
"I'll be fine, Commander." Tuvok said. "But I think it's a good idea for you to accompany Ensign Madison. Your skills will no doubt be needed."  
  
"Thank you again, Tuvok." I said. Then I smiled softly. "I think the ship might have fallen apart without you."  
  
And then I got a surprise. Tuvok actually blushed. And I felt honoured to have seen such emotion from a Vulcan. They usually do not even show other from their own species such things. "Go Commander." He said.  
  
I nodded and turned to walk to the docking bay. "Ensign Madison," I said over my comm. link. "I'll meet you at the Delta Flyer in 5 minutes. How long until we can leave?" "I'll be ready by the time you get here, sir." Madison said.  
  
I smiled properly for the first time in what seemed like days. They were out there, and I was going to find them. No matter what. 


	14. Part Fourteen

JANEWAY:  
  
I blinked my eyes, trying to get used to the new surroundings. "Where are we?" I asked Seven, as I turned to face the others.  
  
"I am not sure." Seven answered. "I believe that the explosion interrupted the transport beam and altered our course slightly."  
  
"So where are we?" B'Elanna asked.  
  
"I believe that instead of the moon we were planning to land on, we are now on the planet it was orbiting."  
  
I looked around me at the tropical rainforest and took a deep breath of the moist, fragrant air. We stood in a small clearing surrounded by large trees covered in climbing vines. Bushes and flowers took up most of the space on the ground, and the sky was cloudy and overcast. "Well, it shouldn't matter." I said as I reached for my comm. badge, that thankfully the Borg had not taken from me. "Janeway to Voyager."  
  
I was surprised when I got a burst of static. I tried again. "Janeway to Voyager."  
  
When the comm. badge didn't work for a second time, I looked at Seven. She regarded me with a calm expression. "We do not seem to be able to reach Voyager." She said.  
  
"Torres to Voyager." B'Elanna tried, but she too, got a burst of static.  
  
I frowned. This was not good. We had to get a message to Voyager. I thought about the problem for a minute. Maybe if we got out from under all these trees...  
  
"Captain," Jack interrupted my thoughts. "We have a problem."  
  
"You mean, aside from not being able to contact our ship?" B'Elanna asked, slightly surly.  
  
"Yep." Riley said, almost casually. Both Riley and Jack had begun to move forward, their hands reaching for their weapons. "About five or six of them."  
  
I looked around me, trying to see if I could spot what Riley and Jack had seen. I caught a glimpse of movement behind me, but saw only a blurry shape. "What are they?" I asked.  
  
"I don't know." Jack said. "But whatever they are, they're predators, the hunt in packs and right now they're hunting us."  
  
"Hunting us?" Tom repeated.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Riley said.  
  
Then suddenly three large furry shapes launched themselves out of the undergrowth. Instinctively, I threw my arms up to protect my head and ducked down as a furry predator sailed over my head. A couple of gunshots ran out, startling me. I heard a flock of some sort of flying creature launch themselves into the air, screeching, as the echoes rang out. I carefully straightened up and looked about. The three creatures were dead. "Are the others gone?" I asked Jack.  
  
"Yes." He replied. "But I don't know if they're coming back, or if there's anything else out there."  
  
I took a moment to look at the three dead predators. The resembled large mountain cats to a certain extent, except that they were about the size of a pony. Their faces also looked rather elongated, rather like alligators, but smaller. Their fur was a speckled brown and white, and they had a set of protruding teeth. I swallowed when I remembered the feeling of one of them sailing over my head.  
  
Then I shook myself. I had more important things to think about than a few predators. I had to make sure my crew were safe and uninjured. "Is anyone hurt?" I asked.  
  
"No." Seven answered.  
  
"I'm fine." Riley said.  
  
"B'Elanna's not." Tom said.  
  
"Yes I am!" she snarled at him.  
  
Tom just glared at her. "No, you're not."  
  
Riley smiled a small, sad smile and reached into one of her vest's pockets. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"One of them gave me a scratch, that's all." B'Elanna said.  
  
"Well, I'm going to bind it anyway." Riley said, and before B'Elanna could protest, she continued. "Just to try and hide the smell of blood and food as much as we can."  
  
Grudgingly B'Elanna turned and offered her scratched arm to Riley. I frowned when I saw it. It was more that a scratch! The three jagged cuts on her upper arm looked deep and were seeping blood. "Can you take off the top of your uniform?" Riley asked.  
  
"Yes." B'Elanna answered.  
  
It took a while to carefully peel back and remove her jacket and grey undershirt to reveal the singlet underneath. A minute later, Riley had cleaned and bound B'Elanna's arm. "Right." I said.  
  
As Riley had been patching up B'Elanna's arm, I had been carefully studying the environment around us and had noticed that it was growing darker. "I think the first thing we need to do is find some defensible shelter." I said, thinking fast. "It's getting dark, so we don't have much time."  
  
"Maybe I can help you with that." A soft voice said from behind me.  
  
I spun, vaguely aware of Riley and Jack drawing their weapons, and saw two half-starved men wearing torn clothing. They were both Sikarians – humanoids with markings on their foreheads and spotted skin.  
  
"We will not harm you." Said the man who had spoken before.  
  
"You said you could help us with shelter?" I asked.  
  
"Yes. But it is not safe here." The man continued. "I will have to answer your questions later."  
  
A twig snapped somewhere, and he jumped. "Please come with us." He said. "I promise I will explain."  
  
"Why do you want to help us?" Jack asked, but his tone was curious, not accusatory.  
  
"Because it is safer in numbers. You also have weapons."  
  
Jack nodded and looked at me. I could see that he wanted to help these people, but was still slightly suspicious about their motives. I felt a surge of happiness. If Jack had begun to want to help people again then he had found hope. He would be alright.  
  
"Let's go." I said.  
  
* * * The camp was broken and dirty, with a wall of sharpened wooden stakes as the only defence to the outside. The wall had been built around the wreckage of their small ship and shelters had been rigged to sit up against its sides. It seemed that these people were traders who were returning to their main ship after a small successful trading visit, when their small craft had been attacked by the Borg.  
  
They had escaped, but due to all the damaged systems, they had crash landed on the planet. The two we had met, Juus and Wis had been gathering food outside, before being discovered by the cat-like predators. The other male had remained behind to care for the female trader who had been injured in the crash.  
  
As soon as we had entered the camp, Tom and Riley had gone straight to see what they could do to help the female trader. Jack, Seven, B'Elanna and I had taken a tour of the camp. As we did this, I saw how the traders were barely surviving. Jack had had a frown on his face through the whole thing. Before long, Tom exited the largest, ragged tent and walked towards us. He walked up to us, and made sure the traders were out of earshot. "It doesn't look goo, Captain." He said. "She's wounded pretty bad. Riley's doing the best she can, but we need to get her to the Doc as soon as possible."  
  
I nodded. "That's not all." Jack said. "I'm going to need help, but as soon as we can, I suggest we reinforce the wall and add some more defences. Otherwise we might get some unexpected visitors."  
  
"I agree." I said. "Tom, do you need to help Lieutenant-Colonel Riley anymore?"  
  
"Just call me Riley." Riley said, as she walked up. "Everyone else does. And I've done about all I can. I'll keep my eye on her, but I don't need Tom's help anymore."  
  
"Good." I said. "Tom, I want you to take a look at their ship. I want to know if we can get her off the ground. You too, B'Elanna."  
  
"Aye, Cap'n." Tom said.  
  
"I, too, have ideas to improve the defences." Seven added. "I will help Colonel O'Neill."  
  
"I'm going to see what food they have." I said. "We might need to go scavenging in the morning."  
  
"We'll be fine for tonight, even if they only have water." Jack said. "Riley and I have rations. They're not very good, but they're edible."  
  
Riley smiled at that. "Well, theoretically edible anyway."  
  
Jack smiled back. "And they all taste like chicken."  
  
I smiled as I watched the two of them interact. That was twice now that they had smiled. And they were also both showing their emotions a lot more than they used to, but I don't think they noticed it. They was an air of deep sadness about them, but there was a bright spot amongst it all. Hope. They had both found hope, and they weren't so empty anymore.  
  
"I'm sure it won't kill us, even if we do loose a few taste buds." I said, as I looked at the horizon. "But I think we'd better hurry. We have maybe two hours of light left."  
  
Everyone nodded and we split up. Jack and Seven headed for the wall, soon deep in conversation, and I couldn't help feeling that Seven had found some kindred spirits. Both Riley and Jack had lost their humanity to a certain extent, and Seven could understand that – and offer advice. It would be good for her.  
  
Tom and B'Elanna were soon joined at the ship by Wis and were deep in discussion about the condition of the ship. I smiled. If anyone could get that ship off the ground, it would be those two. Tom was one of the best pilots I had ever met, and as any good pilot is, he knew his ship from top to bottom. And B'Elanna...well she could fix engines that I would have sworn couldn't be saved. And in record time.  
  
I looked up at the cloudy sky. 'Hold on Voyager,' I thought. 'We're out here, and we're going to get home.' 


	15. Part Fifteen

CHAKOTAY:  
  
"Commander, wait!" a voice called out as I entered the docking bay.  
  
I turned to see Dr. Jackson racing towards me. "I'm coming with you." He said firmly, if a little breathlessly.  
  
I nodded after a moment, seeing that nothing I could have said would stop him from coming. I turned and walked quickly towards the Delta Flyer. "Ensign Madison, get us out of here." I said as I slid into the co-pilot's chair, Dr. Jackson right behind me.  
  
"Aye, aye, sir." She answered, her fingers flying over the controls.  
  
Soon the Flyer was speeding through space, heading for the green and grey planet in the distance. Every meter we flew, the hope in my heart grew stronger and stronger. She had to be alive. She had to! The atmosphere in the cabin got tenser and tenser the closer we came to the planet, and I had to stop myself fidgeting. In an effort to calm myself, I looked out at the winking stars. They looked just the same as they always had, none of the pain and anguish that we all felt having affected them. Then I wondered if Kathryn could see those strange stars. Was she looking up at them?  
  
"We're entering the atmosphere now." Madison said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Good." I said. "Prepare to run full range scans, targeting the major continents first."  
  
"Aye, Commander." She said, as my fingers joined hers at the controls.  
  
I readied the scanners and, once we'd gotten close enough to the surface, initiated them. Daniel shifted restlessly behind me. "How long will this take?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." I replied. "It depends how far we can scan."  
  
He fell silence once more, and I turned my attention to the data coming in, searching for even the smallest sign of my Captain and missing crew mates.  
  
* * *  
  
JACK:  
  
I was exhausted by the time true dark had fallen across the planet, but reasonably happy with what we had achieved. The defences would stand for now, but I still wanted to go over them again tomorrow. I sighed as everything I had been through over the past couple of days caught up with me. I would be grateful for a few minutes peace tonight to finally think about things.  
  
"The defences now seem adequate." Seven said from beside me.  
  
Over the past couple of hours I had gotten used to the way she talked, having worked by her side in fixing the defences. "They'll do." I agreed. "Although, as soon as it gets light, I want to look at the north wall again."  
  
"I agree." Seven said. "It appears less stable than all the others."  
  
We gradually walked towards the centre of the camp, where someone had built up a fire and sank gratefully onto the log beside it. Everyone else was already there, sitting around the fire. As I basked in the warmth, I realised how cold the air had become, despite the humidity. "Does it usually get cold at night?" I asked Juus beside me.  
  
"Yes." He said. "But a fire is usually sufficient in keeping everyone warm.  
  
I noticed that Wis and the other male trader were sitting beside the injured female and taking turns in feeding her. She was already looking better, and I saw Riley was also sitting close, keeping an eye on her. I turned to Janeway, who was on my other side. "How's the ship?" I asked.  
  
"B'Elanna says she should be able to have the systems online in a couple of days, and Tom thinks he can get the systems online by late tomorrow." She answered.  
  
"Sounds promising." I said. "Seven might also be able to help too, because I can handle the rest of the defences by myself."  
  
Janeway nodded. "That would be good." She said. "Wis and Juus are also going to help, but hopefully another pair of hands will speed things up."  
  
"I could probably come and help you with the wall, sir." Riley said, coming over. "Maris is looking better and she's eating again, so I should be alright to leave her for a while."  
  
"I won't say no to help." I said.  
  
At that point the food came and talk turned to more general matters, like the climate of the planet and the stories of the traders. I felt myself tuning out after a while, not really interested how much it rained here. I gave a sad smile. But then I never had had the fascination about how things worked like Carter had. She always did have an almost childish need to figure out what made things tick. It was one of the things I loved about her.  
  
Janeway must have caught my expression, because she came to sit by me. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.  
  
"Not really." I said. "But I think I will be in time."  
  
She smiled. "I'm glad. You deserve some happiness in your life."  
  
"I've had happiness." I said. "Six years – and they were probably the best years of my life."  
  
Janeway looked at me curiously. "Colonel, there's something I have been puzzling about. I was hoping you could tell me, but if it's too personal, I understand." She said. "You said Major Carter was your 2IC. But weren't there some sort of military regulations against that sort of thing?"  
  
"Yeah, there were." I said. "Officers under the same command weren't allowed to have a relationship – and having a relationship with your superior officer was doubly so. Not that it stopped anyone, really."  
  
"So you broke the regulations?"  
  
I smiled. "At first, yes we did. But then Sam did one of the most selfless things I'd ever seen her do. She gave up her military commission and rank that meant so much to her and became a civilian."  
  
Janeway frowned. "I don't understand."  
  
"She retired from the Air Force and became Dr. Samantha Carter."  
  
"Oh." Janeway said. "I understand now. We don't have the same problem in Starfleet. I think it has something to do with the amount of time we spend away from home."  
  
"Then why don't you do anything, Captain?" I asked softly, curious. "What's stopping you?"  
  
"Call me Kathryn." She said absently, just before my meaning sunk in. "Do something?" she asked, her eyes widening.  
  
I smiled at her pretended innocence. "About your First Officer."  
  
"We're just friends." She said.  
  
I took a long look at her. "He doesn't think like that, Kathryn." I told her, thinking it was about time someone forced her to accept the truth. "You're the only one trying to deny your feelings."  
  
She turned to me, her eyes glittering in anger. "I'm not doing anything of the sort!" she snapped.  
  
"I think you are." I said softly. "He loves you. I can see it in the way he looks at you – because I know exactly how he feels. I was in love with Sam for years, even though she never knew it at the time."  
  
"He's a close friend." Kathryn said. "That's all."  
  
"No." I said. "He's a man who loves you, and as a result, is willing to take all you can give him. If that means he can only be your friend, then he will keep being your friend forever."  
  
"No..." Kathryn whispered.  
  
I stood up to leave, recognising the anguished look on her face. But I had to tell her one last thing – something I knew from experience. "Just think about this, Kathryn." I told her quietly. "If he dies tomorrow, will it hurt any less than it would if you knew what it felt like to hold him in your arms and kiss him?"  
  
I smiled sadly. "Trust me on this: it hurts just the same. The only difference is, that if you give in to your feelings and tell him, then if he does die, then at least you know what heaven feels like."  
  
I left her then, because she needed time to sort out her own feelings and think about what I had told her. And I hope she did choose to follow her heart. Looking back on my time with Sam, short as it was, I knew I would never have traded it for anything. She died knowing that I loved her. My pain would have been ten times worse if I had never told her that.  
  
I walked over to where Tom and B'Elanna were sitting. "How are the repairs coming?" I asked them, sitting down.  
  
"Fine." B'Elanna said shortly.  
  
I looked at her. And for the first time in a long time, I cared about what someone thoughts of me. "Why don't you like me?" I asked bluntly.  
  
"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Tom said.  
  
I shrugged my soldiers. "I'm a soldier. I don't usually have time for long sentences and diplomatic words."  
  
B'Elanna frowned. "And why do you think I don't like you?" she asked.  
  
"Because you're always glaring in my direction and always seem to find something better to do every time I approach."  
  
Tom sat back and watched us. There was a incredulous and slightly admiring expression on his face. I grinned for the first time in years. I had been right in guessing B'Elanna was a lady with a short temper. I just grinned wider when she exploded. "I don't know what you talking about!"  
  
"I think you do." I said calmly.  
  
Her eyes were glittering and her lips drew back in a snarl. "You want to know why I don't like you?" she snapped. "I don't like you because you burst into our lives wearing your pain like a badge! As if you were the only people in the Universe to feel pain! To lose people that you care about!"  
  
She got up and began to pace. "Well the whole crew of Voyager have been through Hell! We've all lost our families! We can't even go home!" At that point she whirled and brought her face close to mine. "That whole crew feels pain everyday, yet they keep on going. I don't like you because you have just given up!"  
  
I looked at her as she sat down, and nodded. I could feel everyone else in the camp staring at me. "You're right." I said. "I did wear my pain like a badge. I gave up, I admit it." I looked directly at her. "It took you and the rest of your crew to show me what real strength was. I only hope that one day I have you strength."  
  
At my words, B'Elanna's eyes softened. "It's hard." She said. "And I'm sorry for yelling. I guess I can't blame you because that's what I did. And if could get through it, you will."  
  
"Thanks." I said gratefully. "I hope I can."  
  
In an effort to break the tension, Riley came over and sat beside me. "Just imagine what General Peterson would do if you did. He might just wet his pants."  
  
I turned to her and raised my eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
She smiled. "Yeah." She said. "He'll probably think you've finally gone mad." 


	16. Part Sixteen

RILEY:  
  
It took two days of hard work from Tom, B'Elanna, Janeway, Juus and Seven, but they finally fixed the trader's ship. I had been impressed as I watched them work. It had been even harder over the last 24 hours due to the massive rise in humidity. Juus said that was because there was a large storm coming. Just what we needed.  
  
Everyone had stripped of all the clothing they could, in order to get a bit cooler, but the rest of the clothes stuck to us wetly. The air was heavy with moisture and seemed to stick in our lungs. The Colonel and I had even stripped off our vests, relying on our zats and pistols to protect the camp. Everything else was too heavy. The heat and humidity seemed to be sapping everyone's strength.  
  
Protecting the camp was our job – me and the Colonel. Since we couldn't help fix the ship, Colonel O'Neill and I guarded the camp and continued to sure up the defences. Occasionally one of us would accompany the other trader, Nils, 100 meters outside the walls to gather water from the small nearby stream. But there wasn't much to do.  
  
At lunch we finished off the last of the rations. Everyone was looking exhausted, but very pleased with themselves. "We're going to try and start the engines after lunch." Tom said between mouthfuls.  
  
"They're not operating at full power," B'Elanna added. "But they should get us through the atmosphere and in range of Voyager's scanners."  
  
"Your ship really is up there?" Wis asked.  
  
I saw the momentary flicker of doubt across Captain Janeway's face, but it was quickly gone, hidden by a reassuring mask. "Yes." She said, as if trying to reassure herself with her words. "Yes they are." She repeated more firmly.  
  
After lunch it was back to work. Wearily, I dragged myself to my feet. "You need sleep." The Colonel said from behind me.  
  
"No more than everyone else." I replied.  
  
"How's the hand?" he asked, motioning towards my crudely bandaged fist.  
  
"Hopefully, reminding me not to go around punching metal walls, sir." I replied.  
  
He smiled softly. There was still a lot of pain behind it – pain I felt myself – but it looked almost natural now. "At least it wasn't your head." He quipped.  
  
I smiled back. "Yes, sir."  
  
At that moment, the usual sounds of the jungle that we had gotten used to, were suddenly interrupted by a low, vibrating sound that grew louder with each passing second. Instinctively, Jack and I went for our guns, just as Tom and Janeway jerked their heads up. "What is that?" Jack asked the Captain.  
  
She looked up into the sky and her face broke into a wide grin. "The Delta Flyer!" she answered joyfully.  
  
Confused, I followed her gaze and saw a sleek ship approaching above the trees. I sighed and relaxed my posture a little. Perhaps this meant I could get some sleep soon. But I didn't count on it.  
  
* * *  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
My heart leapt when I saw the data before me. After four hours of searching, I had begun to loose hope. But there it was right in front of me! "I've found them!" I said, breaking the tense silence of the cabin.  
  
"Where?" Dr. Jackson asked, his head snapping up.  
  
"100km to the east."  
  
"I'm one my way, sir." Madison said, just as I opened my mouth to give her the order.  
  
I could barely contain my excitement. They were alive! She was alive! Dr. Jackson looked just like I felt, his eyes sparkling and full of hope. But there was something else in his expression. A steely determination I had never seen before. But before I could figure out exactly what it was, my gaze was drawn to the window beside me and the figures slowly coming into view beyond it.  
  
As soon as Madison had landed the Flyer, I threw open the hatch and took a breath of heavy, moist air. But I soon forgot the humidity when I saw the people waiting in the camp beyond. Everyone was damp with sweat – I could feel the sweat beginning to pickle against my own skin – and their clothes stuck to their skin. Colonel O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Riley were closest, standing in front of everyone else – all of whom stood in front of a rather beat up ship.  
  
The Colonel had stripped down to his black singlet, and I could see the hard, corded muscles beneath his skin. Riley had the same hard, lean look. She wore her pants and a sports bra, her dark red hair sticking to her skin. B'Elanna had stripped to her white undershirt and there was a bandage on her upper right arm. She kept sliding glances at Tom, who was bare-chested with a smear of something black and oily across his stomach. Even Seven didn't look like her normal sleek self. While she, it seemed, had resisted the urge to strip off any of her clothing, some of her hair had come loose and hung in sweaty clumps around her face.  
  
I noticed all of this in an instant before I saw her. My Captain, my confidant and my friend. Kathryn. And she had never looked more beautiful to me. Her auburn hair was damp and stuck to her face and neck. She too, had stripped off most of her uniform, her white undershirt displaying her trim, curvy figure.  
  
Vaguely I heard Daniel call, "Jack!" from behind me as her blue eyes turned to stare into mine. She was alive! "Commander." She greeted.  
  
"Captain." I replied.  
  
"Allow me to introduce Juus, Wis, Nils and Maris of the starship Seeker." She said, motioning to the four strangers around her. "They are Sikarian traders."  
  
I nodded in greeting. "Ready to go home, Captain?" I asked.  
  
She grinned. "Oh, yes." She said with feeling. "I've been dying for a cup of coffee for days."  
  
I laughed softly. That was Kathryn all right. Always in search of her next cup of coffee. "I'm sure Neelix will have some new version for you to try." I told her.  
  
She made a face. "Let's hope it's better that the last lot!" she said.  
  
Then her face fell serious again. I saw the woman who I could tease and so easily confide in retreat and the determined Captain take her place. She was getting down to business, as I should be. There would be enough time for everything else later. "Do you have any way of contacting Voyager?" she asked.  
  
"No." I answered. "The atmosphere is too ionic, causing the transmissions to be too warped to pick up. We have the same problem with the transporter."  
  
"Right." She said. "We'll have to fly everyone out."  
  
I nodded. "Is the Seeker fit to fly?"  
  
"B'Elanna and Tom think so." She replied. "But I'll get them to fly with it just in case."  
  
She glanced over at the traders. "I think our first priority should be to get the Sikarians out of here." She continued. "They need medical attention. Particularly Maris."  
  
"We can take them out in the Flyer." I said. "Dr. Jackson will probably want to stay with his friends, which means we could take at least three of them and you. It might be a little squashed though."  
  
"We'll survive." Janeway replied.  
  
We wandered over to talk to Juus, who seemed to be the one in control. "Ah, Captain." He said as we approached. "I've been talking with your pilot, Paris. Between the two of us, we should be able to get the Seeker off the planet."  
  
Kathryn nodded. "Good. Maris, Wis and Nils can come with us in the Flyer. That way we can get Maris to the Doctor as soon as possible."  
  
She turned to Tom. "How soon can you get her in the air?" she asked.  
  
"Fifteen minutes." He replied. "Half an hour at the most."  
  
"Let's start getting everything – and everyone – loaded." Kathryn said.  
  
"Aye, Captain." I answered.  
  
Getting everyone sorted took a good twenty minutes. Finally all those who were coming in the Delta Flyer were onboard and we were ready to go. "How's it coming Tom?" I asked.  
  
We had found that the comm links worked over short distances, but Tom's voice still came back fuzzy and distorted. "Systems just booting up." He said.  
  
"All right." I replied. "See you back on board Voyager."  
  
I nodded at Madison and she started the Flyer's engines. Within minutes we broke through the atmosphere into cold, calm space. I saw Voyager in the distance, slowly orbiting the planet. "Chakotay to Tuvok." I said.  
  
"Go ahead Commander." Tuvok replied.  
  
I smiled. "We've found the Captain and missing crew." I told him. "The others are following. There were some traders stuck on the planet. They need to see the Doctor."  
  
"I will notify him." Tuvok answered.  
  
A few minutes later, Madison gently set the Flyer down inside the hanger. As soon as they could, Tuvok, Harry, the Doctor and a few crew acting as a medical team entered the hanger. As soon as we got out the Doctor started yelling orders as the Sikarians were rushed off to the infirmary. Tuvok and Kathryn were soon deep in conversation about the repairs and damage to the ship. Even Madison had slipped off somewhere, no doubt to tell the crew about what she had seen. I felt at a loss. I had nothing immediate to do.  
  
But just then, Tom's voice came over my comm link. "Paris to Chakotay." He said. "We're experiencing some..." his voice was sharply cut off.  
  
I looked out the nearest window, but saw the Seeker coming towards Voyager. The outside seemed calm – the opposite to whatever was happening inside. "Chakotay to Paris." I snapped.  
  
There was nothing. I tried again. "Chakotay to Paris."  
  
"O'Neill here." Came Jack's voice. "Paris' hurt and Juus is unconscious. You'd better tell the Doc."  
  
"Who's flying the ship?" I asked.  
  
"I am." He replied. "With Riley. Don't worry. We can handle it."  
  
"But you've never seen the technology before." I said lamely.  
  
"We've seen technology like it." Jack answered. "Besides, we wouldn't be very good pilots if we couldn't adapt, now would we?"  
  
That sounded like something Tom would say. I smiled. "I tell the Doctor. He'll be waiting."  
  
* * *  
  
TOM:  
  
The small trader craft was filled with people as I climbed into the pilot seat. I shot a look at B'Elanna, who had made sure she was near the engines – in case anything went wrong. Juus was beside me, and he had already begun to power up the systems. B'Elanna looked at me. "Let's see if she'll fly." She said.  
  
I nodded. Behind me, Colonel O'Neill, Riley, Dr. Jackson and Seven all sat, all rather squashed up against each other. "Ready?" I asked them, just as Commander Chakotay's distorted voice came over my comm link.  
  
"How's it coming Tom?" he asked.  
  
"System's just booting up." I told him.  
  
"All right." He said. "See you back on board Voyager."  
  
I watched the Flyer take off and wished I was piloting her. She was sleek and fast, unlike the big, heavy ship I was now piloting. We would be lucky if we could get her to Voyager. "Let's go." I told Juus, and the Seeker lifted heavily off the ground.  
  
The next few minutes were fairly tense as everyone held their breath to see if the engines would hold. They seemed to, and I took a moment to admire B'Elanna's skill. There wasn't an engine I hadn't seen her not able to repair, and I wasn't sure there would ever be one. Minutes ticked by as we slowly guided the Seeker through the atmosphere and into space. I smiled when I saw the twinkling stars. The hard part was over.  
  
Suddenly the ship began to shake. "Should she be doing that?" I asked Juus.  
  
"No."  
  
"Paris to Chakotay." I said. "We're experiencing some..." my words were cut off as I experienced a burning sensation all over my body. My hands in particular felt like they had been set on fire. I was jerked back by a strong arm and pulled from my chair. My muscles felt like jelly. "The controls short circuited." B'Elanna said as she pulled at a few wires. "That should do it." She said after a moment.  
  
I looked up at the person who had pulled me from my chair. It was the Colonel. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You took a fair jolt of electricity."  
  
I took a few tries to get my mouth to work. "I'm fine." I finally said. "Juus?"  
  
"Unconscious, but alive." Came Riley's voice.  
  
"I have to pilot..." my voice trailed weakly off.  
  
"No." Jack said firmly. "You lie there. We need to get the Doctor to look at you. I'll fly her."  
  
"You?" I echoed.  
  
"I am a pilot." Jack said getting up. "Riley."  
  
Riley got up and joined him in the other pilot's chair. She gingerly touched the control panel, but no electricity jumped out. After a moment her fingers began to move over the controls, gaining confidence as Jack's did the same. The Seeker started forward again, her path as smooth as when I had been flying her.  
  
"How did you..?" but again I was cut off. This time by Chakotay.  
  
"Chakotay to Paris." He said. "Chakotay to Paris."  
  
"O'Neill here." Jack said into his comm. "Paris' hurt and Juus is unconscious. You'd better tell the Doc."  
  
"Who's flying the ship?" the Commander asked.  
  
"I am." He replied. "With Riley. Don't worry. We can handle it."  
  
"But you've never seen the technology before." Chakotay said, sounding surprised.  
  
"We've seen technology like it." Jack answered. "Besides, we wouldn't be very good pilots if we couldn't adapt, now would we?"  
  
"I tell the Doctor. He'll be waiting." Chakotay replied.  
  
"It's just like a Glider." Riley said. "Except for feeling like I was trying to fly underwater. She's so heavy."  
  
Jack grinned. "Nah, it doesn't feel like flying underwater." He said. "That's more smooth and slower – almost like you're flying in slow motion."  
  
"I'd forgotten you'd done that." Riley replied.  
  
"You've flown underwater?" I asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah." Jack said. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime."  
  
We soon managed to reach Voyager and gratefully sank down into the hanger. As soon as we did there was a flurry of motion. The Doctor had got some of the crew to stand in as a medical team and soon dragged me off to the infirmary, B'Elanna trailing behind him. I was finally home again. I smiled. 


	17. Part Seventeen

_Author's Note: Okay, this chapter is an effort to explain how Jack and co. ended up in the Voyager Universe. I hope it doesn't sound too far fetched! Cheeky._  
  
JANEWAY:  
  
The next few days were busy as Voyager limped towards the Sikarian homeworld. Their government had been overjoyed to hear they had been found and promised to give us a port to conduct out repairs. I was grateful for that. We had reached the planet around two days after our rescue, most of which I had spent sleeping or cataloguing the damage to the ship. Part of me hurt with my ship, and I couldn't stand the thought of her mangled systems.  
  
Jack, Daniel, Riley and Mia had spent the time locked up in a room together, and no one had seen them in days. Both the Doctor and Neelix assured me they were fine and regularly checked on them. I wasn't too worried. My days were busy with overseeing the repairs and resupplying the ship. Being a planet of traders, the Government was very happy to agree.  
  
A week later, Voyager said goodbye to the Sikarians and made her way back out into space – and the long journey home. I breathed a sigh of relief and settled back into my command chair, Chakotay beside me. I finaly had the chance to think again. The rest of my shift was quiet and I spent most of it locked in thought about our capture by the Borg, our time on the planet – but most of all about what Jack had told me.  
  
I didn't want to accept it. Chakotay wasn't in love with me. He couldn't be. And I certainly wasn't in love with him. I glanced over at him and he smiled at me, his brown eyes warm. He wasn't in love with me, was he? Not that it mattered. I was the Captain of the ship. I had to be an example to the crew. I had to be the person they could look up to. But Jack's words came back to haunt me:  
  
_"He's a man who loves you, and as a result, is willing to take all you can give him. If that means he can only be your friend, then he will keep being your friend forever."_  
  
Was Chakotay only taking all I was willing to give him?  
  
_"Just think about this, Kathryn. If he dies tomorrow, will it hurt any less than it would if you knew what it felt like to hold him in your arms and kiss him? Trust me on this: it hurts just the same. The only difference is, that if you give in to your feelings and tell him, then if he does die, then at least you know what heaven feels like."  
_  
I looked at Chakotay again and tried to imagine what it would feel like if he wasn't there. I would feel empty. Over the past five years he had become not only my friend, but my confidant. Without him there I would feel so empty and alone. But could I risk it? If he loved me and I gave in, would I still be able to be Captain? And did I love him in return?  
  
Thankfully I was interrupted just before I got up to leave the bridge to Harry, and I banished those thoughts. No doubt they would come back to haunt me as I tried to sleep. "Seven to Janeway." Came the familiar voice over my comm.  
  
"Go ahead Seven." I said.  
  
"If you have am minute Captain, would you come down to Astrometrics?" she asked.  
  
"I'm on my way." I replied.  
  
Curious, I quickly made my way down to Astrometrics. "What is it Seven?" I asked.  
  
"I have been thinking about what the Borg Queen revealed in the assimilation chamber." She said.  
  
I struggled to remember. "What did she reveal?" I asked.  
  
"She said that the reality that Colonel O'Neill and his team had come from was incomplete in some way." Seven said. "She said: what exists in one does not exist in the other."  
  
I nodded. Now I remembered. "And what have you found?" Seven wouldn't have called me down unless she had found something.  
  
"I have been going over the data we recorded during the wormhole and comparing it to other wormholes we have encountered. There is something strange about it."  
  
"Are you sure that's not just due to the way it jumped dimensions?" I asked, my scientific mind thoroughly interested.  
  
"At first that was what I thought too, but now I do not think so. I checked with our data that we recorded during our own encounter with parallel dimensions and it is different." She looked at me. "The wormhole seemed almost incomplete."  
  
"Incomplete?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded. "I believe that somehow the reality Colonel O'Neill came from has been split in two."  
  
"Split in two?" I echoed, my mind whirling. "They mentioned something when they were explaining their Universe." I muttered. "A weapon that was said to manipulate space..."  
  
"The Eye of Ra." Seven nodded. "It was not destroyed like they had believed."  
  
"Yes. Do you think that it could have been responsible?" I asked, thinking back to what Jack had told me.  
  
He had said, of the little we could get out of him, that his friends had died while they were trying to destroy a Goa'uld weapon. Something that they had always believed had been destroyed. The Eye of Ra. It had gone off just as Sam had died. Was that significant in any way? Could this weapon really have split an entire reality?  
  
"If that's true," I said. "Then is there any way to fix it?"  
  
"That is why I called you down here Captain." Seven said. "I believe there is a way, but I am not sure if it will work."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I believe that if a great surge of energy caused by the weapon was able to tear the reality apart, then the opposite could draw it back together." She said.  
  
I raised my eyebrow in surprise. "The opposite of a surge of energy?"  
  
"Yes. We need to suck energy out of their reality. I believe the reason it remains separated is because of the increased energy keeping it stable. If we were to remove that energy, then it would knit back together into a whole again."  
  
"How do you propose we do that?" I asked. How could you remove energy from a reality?  
  
Then I smiled. Since I didn't really know a thing about how that energy was _added_ to the reality in the first place, I shouldn't really be surprised when I couldn't automatically think of the answer.  
  
"An antimatter explosion should be able to do it." Seven said. "And a small matter charge would be able to bridge the gap between the two realities."  
  
"An antimatter explosion. That's very dangerous." I frowned.  
  
"Timing would be crucial, but I believe we can do it." Seven said.  
  
"I'll tell Jack." I told her. "The final decision should be up to him."  
  
Then I smiled at her. "I would say that this whole thing was impossible, but I know what you would say to that." I told her.  
  
She nodded. "Impossible is a word humans use far too often." She replied.  
  
"I agree." 


	18. Part Eighteen

DANIEL:  
  
"Jack!" I called as I flew out of the Delta Flyer.  
  
The warm, wet air felt heavy in my lungs. I stared at my friend. He was just as hard and lean as before, but something had changed in his eyes. "Riley!" I continued. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Not really, Danny." Jack said. "But I think we will be."  
  
Riley nodded. "Yes. We will be."  
  
I turned to look at her to see if she was telling the truth, even though I knew they weren't talking about physical injuries. I couldn't help but be concerned – they were my friends. Then I noticed the rough bandage on Riley's fist. "What happened to your hand?" I asked her.  
  
She gave em a small smile. "It's a long story." She replied.  
  
I stood there, stunned. Had Riley just smiled? She had always been so withdrawn, so cold...  
  
"In short," she continued, "I punched a wall."  
  
"Punched a wall?" I blinked.  
  
"Yeah. It was either that or hit someone. I was feeling things I didn't want to feel and got angry." She explained softly.  
  
"Oh." I said.  
  
I looked harder at her. She had the same look as Jack did, in her eyes. A deep sadness and loss, just like before, but not as soul consuming as it had been. They had finally begun to grieve. But there was something else – a sense of hope.  
  
It was another half an hour before Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay were ready to leave. I watched them almost wistfully as they helped their crew organise everything. "What's wrong?" Jack asked softly.  
  
"Will we ever be like that again, Jack?"  
  
"You mean happy?" he replied. "Yes, Daniel. We will."  
  
I felt him staring at me. "And if you're talking about family." He added. "You already have one."  
  
"Even with everyone gone?" I asked, my words filled with sadness and pain.  
  
"You still have me." He said. "It's not much I know, but you have me anyway. And Riley and Mia. That's a start."  
  
I turned to Jack. "I wouldn't have survived without you, Jack." I said. He needed to hear that and the truth and belief behind my words.  
  
"I'm a soldier." He said. "It's not hard to watch your back. It was what I was trained to do."  
  
"I'm not talking about that." I fixed him with a piercing glare. "You held me together, gave me something to hold on to when...they died."  
  
He looked at me in surprise. "How did I do that?"  
  
"By simply being my friend." I told him. "By just being there."  
  
Jack continued to stare at me with a strange expression on his face. "You're beginning to sound like the Danny that I used to know."  
  
I gave him a soft smile. "That's what I'm hoping for." I said.  
  
Riley came up to us at that moment. "It's time to go." She told us.  
  
We all climbed into the second ship and I noticed one of the strangers would be flying it. Tom Paris was sitting beside him. I was squashed in the back of the ship between Riley and Seven of Nine, but I didn't really care. I was still revelling in the changes in my friends – and the changes in myself.  
  
"How's it coming Tom?" Chakotay asked over the comm, his voice distorted slightly.  
  
"System's just booting up." Tom replied.  
  
"All right." Chakotay said. "See you back onboard Voyager."  
  
A few minutes later I felt the heavy ship lift off the ground. The ship struggled, but Tom and the trader Juus patiently guided the ship through the atmosphere. We were just past the atmosphere and flying back towards Voyager, when the engine's whine got higher and the ship began to shake.  
  
"Should she be doing that?" Tom asked.  
  
"No." Juus replied.  
  
"Paris to Chakotay." Tom snapped. "We're experiencing some..." he words were suddenly cut off.  
  
A surge of electricity ran through the control panel and both pilots went rigid. My mind grasped what was happening in an instant. I yanked Juus from his chair as Jack did the same for Tom. Juus was a dead weight in my arms. I checked his pulse, but he was just unconscious. "The controls short circuited." B'Elanna said as she pulled at a few wires under the panel. "That should do it." She said after a moment.  
  
"Are you alright?" I heard Jack ask Tom. "You took a fair jolt of electricity."  
  
"I'm fine." Tom croaked after a minute. "Juus?"  
  
"Unconscious, but alive." Riley said from beside me.  
  
"I have to pilot..." Tom croaked.  
  
"No." Jack said firmly. "You lie there. We need to get the Doctor to look at you. I'll fly her."  
  
"You?" Tom echoed.  
  
"I am a pilot." Jack said getting up. "Riley."  
  
Riley got up and joined him in the other pilot's chair. She gingerly touched the control panel, but no electricity jumped out. After a moment her fingers began to move over the controls, gaining confidence as Jack's did the same. The Seeker started forward again, her path smooth. I felt a surge of pride. Jack was probably the best pilot I had ever met. There was nothing he couldn't fly.  
  
"How did you..?" Tom began.  
  
"Chakotay to Paris." Came the comm. "Chakotay to Paris."  
  
"O'Neill here." Jack said into his comm. "Paris' hurt and Juus is unconscious. You'd better tell the Doc."  
  
"Who's flying the ship?" the Commander asked.  
  
"I am." He replied. "With Riley. Don't worry. We can handle it."  
  
"But you've never seen the technology before." Chakotay said, sounding surprised.  
  
"We've seen technology like it." Jack answered. "Besides, we wouldn't be very good pilots if we couldn't adapt, now would we?"  
  
I smiled at his words. The gliders. Jack always did like stealing them whenever he could. And they were both good pilots. "I tell the Doctor. He'll be waiting." Chakotay replied.  
  
"It's just like a Glider." Riley said. "Except for feeling like I was trying to fly underwater. She's so heavy."  
  
Jack grinned. "Nah, it doesn't feel like flying underwater." He said. "That's more smooth and slower – almost like you're flying in slow motion."  
  
"I'd forgotten you'd done that." Riley replied.  
  
"You've flown underwater?" Tom asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah." Jack said. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime."  
  
I grinned slightly as I remembered. That had been one hell of an experience. And it was one hell of a story. I only hoped I could see Tom's face when Jack told him. And then chaos erupted as Jack set the Seeker down inside the docking bay. We were back on Voyager again.  
  
* * *  
  
For the first three days after we got to Voyager, Jack, Mia, Riley and I stayed hidden in the room we had been given. We spent a lot of time sleeping. But most importantly, we grieved. We told stories about the times we had shared with those now gone. Jack and I remembered all we had done with Sam and Teal'c. We cried and laughed and remembered. With each memory, each story, my heart felt a tiny bit lighter, my soul a little bit freer. I began to remember all the good times I had shared with all my friends. And slowly I began to feel less alone. Janet, Sam, Teal'c...they would always be with me in my memories. The thought made the sadness seem more bearable.  
  
Tuvok and the bubbly alien, Neelix, made sure we ate and brought us meals, but never intruded upon our grief. Although, I know Neelix was curious. But despite that, he never pried. I was grateful for that. This was a private grief between the four of us.  
  
On the morning of the fourth day, I got up and felt I had to do something. I couldn't just sit still anymore. "What do you suppose they do around here for fun?" Jack asked from where he lay on a bunk.  
  
I gave him a small smile. "We could ask." I said.  
  
"Good idea." Riley agreed. "I can't stand being cooped up in here anymore!"  
  
We all knew what she meant. It was time to stop the tears and go out into the world again. "I agree." Mia added.  
  
Jack nodded and sprang up. "Good." He said. "C'mon Danny. Let's go get some breakfast while the ladies change."  
  
"Ladies?" Riley asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.  
  
"Female members of the team, then." Jack shot back.  
  
Jack and I walked to the mess hall, quietly enjoying the ordered chaos of the ship around us. It reminded me of the SGC. Someone was always doing something, no matter what time it was. The mess hall was filled with people eating, when we entered. Some people were eating breakfast, while others looked like they were eating dinner. It was absolutely fascinating – at least for me. But then I was an anthropologist.  
  
Jack nudged me and nodded to where Neelix was dishing up something to another to crew member. "I hope that's not breakfast." He said.  
  
I glanced around the room again. "I think it is."  
  
Jack sighed and walked over to where Neelix was standing. "Colonel O'Neill! Dr. Jackson!" Neelix greeted, surprised.  
  
I had been conscious of the looks we had been getting since we entered the room, but at Neelix's words a soft murmuring began. I shrugged. I was kind of used to being the centre of attention – both at the SGC as a member of SG-1 and on other planets as a stranger.  
  
"What's for breakfast?" I asked.  
  
Neelix beamed, obviously proud of his concoction...whatever it was. "Tarrow nut and Brojun leaf porridge." He said.  
  
"Porridge?" Jack echoed, dismayed. "I don't suppose you've got any Fruit Loops anywhere, do you?"  
  
"Fruit...Loops?" Neelix repeated.  
  
"Yeah." Jack nodded. "They're sort of sugary things you put milk on."  
  
Neelix frowned. "No, I do not have any of these Fruit Loops." Then he brightened. "But I'm sure I could try and make some."  
  
"No..." Jack said quickly. "I'm sure the porridge is just great."  
  
"Oh." Neelix said, a tad disappointed. "All right."  
  
Jack and I took our porridge to an empty table. Jack looked at it and then at me. "At least it doesn't taste like chicken." I said after cautiously taking a mouthful.  
  
It actually tasted kind of nutty and sweet. Jack smiled. "Yeah, there is that."  
  
At that moment, Riley and Mia came up to our table, dressed in casual looking clothes kindly donated to us by some of the crew. Jack and I finished our breakfast, before heading back to the room to shower and change. Riley and Mia met us outside the door just as we were leaving again.  
  
Jack grinned. "All right. Let's go find someone to annoy." He said.  
  
I grinned back. It sounded like a plan to me. 


	19. Part Nineteen

RILEY:  
  
"So, who are we going to annoy?" I asked Jack as we walked down the corridor.  
  
"Well, the way I figure it," Jack replied. "Is that the main shift should be ending soon and we could ask one of them."  
  
"But we just had breakfast!" Daniel exclaimed.  
  
Jack smiled. "So we did."  
  
"Jack!"  
  
"The reason is because we are 12 hours behind everyone." Mia explained.  
  
I snorted. "Well, that was one hell of a sleep in." I quipped.  
  
When I heard the words come out of my mouth, I felt a rush of happiness and a pang of sadness at the same time. I was beginning to sound like the woman I had once been. But I would never be that woman again – but the words brought none of their despair or bitterness that they always had. It was now more a statement of fact than anything else. I had lost too much, seen too much and fought too hard to be that rather innocent woman. I had changed, but that didn't mean I couldn't have the same sense of humour or friends as I had once had.  
  
By this time we had almost reached the bridge. And we saw two familiar faces walking towards us. Tom Paris and Harry Kim. As they passed us, deep in conversation, Jack came up behind them and slung his arms around their shoulders. Both of them glanced up, startled. "So, what do you kids do around here to have fun?" Jack asked.  
  
"Colonel?" Harry said in surprise.  
  
"Yeah?" Jack answered.  
  
Tom grinned. "What do you think Harry?"  
  
Harry looked at Tom and slowly grinned in return. "Yeah." He said. "Why not?"  
  
Tom turned to Jack. "Have you guys ever heard of a hologram?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Daniel said. "Holograms are cool."  
  
Jack looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Holograms are cool?"  
  
"Well, they are." Daniel said defensively. Jack just grinned.  
  
Tom smiled at Harry. "Remind you of anyone?" he asked softly.  
  
"Yeah." Harry grinned. "Us."  
  
I looked at Harry and Tom. "You should hear them when they really get started." I said.  
  
Pictures flashed through my mind. Seeing the old SG-1 in the mess hall. Going through advanced training under Colonel O'Neill – with Daniel. Hearing Jack and Daniel argue as the walked down the corridor, back when I was still a member of SG-5. Hearing them in the infirmary.  
  
I smiled softly. "What exactly do we do with these holograms, then?" I asked.  
  
"We have this thing called a holodeck." Tom explained. "It's kind of a big metal room."  
  
"And how is that fun?" Jack asked.  
  
"We can turn it into anything, anywhere." Harry said. "Using holograms."  
  
"Anything?" Mia asked.  
  
"Anywhere?" I said.  
  
Tom nodded. "Basically, yes."  
  
He looked at Harry. "Maybe you could help us with something..." he continued.  
  
"We're trying to write a program." Harry took up the explanation. "An action/adventure set in the late 20th early 21st Century."  
  
I looked at Jack, and saw the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I guess we could take a look..." he said.  
  
* * *  
  
An hour later, I was having fun for the first time in a long time. It seemed Tom and Harry were writing a program based on our war with the Goa'uld – except it was rather, well, bad. They really didn't seem to know much about it. Their idea of a car looked like a cross between a beached whale, and of all things, a toaster. Go figure. And the Goa'uld System Lord looked like some kind of mad octopus. That sight had made us all laugh hopelessly. It was just too ridiculous to be scary – particularly after all the System Lords I had 'met'.  
  
"All right." Tom said, sounding frustrated. "How does this look?"  
  
We all watched as a holographic door was thrown open and a tall man entered, two large warrior-types at his back. Their clothes looked Egyptian and authentic, if elaborate – thanks to Daniel's input. The two guards carried fancy staff weapons, and also wore fancy clothes. Tom seemed determined to make things look dramatic.  
  
The man's eyes flashed white. "Bow down before your God!" he said, and for a second, I actually thought there was a actual Goa'uld in the room.  
  
"That's good." I said. Then I grinned. "Almost believable."  
  
"Almost believable?" Tom echoed.  
  
"Yep." Jack agreed. "I think this his skin needs to be a shade lighter."  
  
"And his clothes are still too white." Daniel added. "You need to make them a shade darker."  
  
Tom shot us all a glare, but Jack just grinned back. Harry was trying to hide a smile. "They're just teasing you, Tom." He said.  
  
"I know." Tom sighed.  
  
At that moment the doors swished open and B'Elanna entered. "Out, Tom." She said. "It's my turn."  
  
She was dressed in workout clothes and carried a wicked looking blade. I was intrigued. What was she going to do?  
  
"Well, I don't know about anyone else," Daniel said. "But suddenly, I'm starving."  
  
"Me too." Harry said.  
  
"I wonder if they have any blue jello?" Jack asked.  
  
Daniel brightened. "Yeah."  
  
"What's blue jello?" Tom asked as he gathered all his things.  
  
"Only the best food in the Universe." Jack told him. Then he looked at Mia and me. "Coming?"  
  
"No thanks." Mia said. "I'm going to go explore the ship."  
  
Jack nodded. "Riley?"  
  
"I'll join you later, sir." I said. "I want to go to the gym for a bit."  
  
He nodded again. "C'mon Danny. Let's go find some jello."  
  
Jack and Daniel left, followed by Harry and Tom. "Are you going to tell me what blue jello actually is?" I heard Tom ask as they walked away.  
  
Mia had already slipped away, and I turned to leave. "If you really want a workout, you should stay." B'Elanna said, startling me.  
  
I turned to find her staring at me. "That is, if you're up to it." She challenged.  
  
"Always." I said.  
  
B'Elanna smiled predatorily at me. "Good." She said. "Computer, run program Torres Alpha One."  
  
I smiled back as the room changed around me, just as wickedly as B'Elanna. I drew my knives from the ever present sheaths on my arms as B'Elanna lifted her blade. This was going to be fun. 


	20. Part Twenty

_Author's Note: I know in the series, the episode Descent, where SG-1 escape from the Goa'uld mothership, doesn't have Daniel in it, but for my story I'm going to pretend he was – instead of Jonas Quinn. Cheeky._  
  
CHAKOTAY:  
  
"...and so we were trapped on the ship. No way out." Jack was saying.  
  
"You crashed into the ocean?" Tom asked eagerly, wrapped up in the story the Colonel was telling us.  
  
"Yeah, and sinking fast." Jack continued. "Teal' and Daniel were already off the ship, and went to get help. But the rest of us were stuck."  
  
I saw the momentary flash of grief in his eyes when he mentioned Teal'c, but he kept on talking. "Carter and I..." he trailed off for a minute, his eyes reflecting his pain.  
  
I saw Daniel reach over and squeeze his arm comfortingly, and Jack smiled gratefully at him. "Carter and I," he began again, the sadness still in his eyes. "Headed down to the computer core to see what was happening, but before we could get there the corridor started to flood. And of course, the doors near us shut, trapping us in a small section, while the water rose around our feet."  
  
I had to say that I was absorbed in his story, as were Tom, Harry, Tuvok and Madison. We were all sitting in the mess hall, eating dinner. And I had noticed that some of the crew at the nearby tables were also listening in. I couldn't blame them. It was an interesting story.  
  
"So, what did you do?" Harry asked.  
  
Jack smiled sadly. "Yelled at Jacob to open the doors, while Sam tried to rewire them. But none of it worked. I even tried kicking the doors, but that didn't help either." He took a breathe, almost as if he was trying to will the sadness away. "The water was flooding in fast. I was shivering by the time it was up to my waist. And I was trying not to panic by the time it reached my chest."  
  
"I yelled at Jacob again as the water reached my chin. I was shivering and scared. Carter was just the same. I could see it." He continued. "By now we were swimming, trying to keep our heads above the water. And we were quickly running out of air. So Sam and I did the only thing we could."  
  
"And what was that?" I asked, wrapped up in the story. How were they going to get out?  
  
"We said goodbye." Jack looked at us. "By then I thought I was going to die. I couldn't see anyway to escape. And then the strangest thing happened."  
  
"What?" Tom demanded.  
  
"The doors opened all by themselves."  
  
I blinked. "How? Why?" I breathed, more to myself than anyone else.  
  
"We didn't know at the time, but Thor's consciousness was still inside the computer system. He saved us." Jack said. "Teal'c and Daniel arrived with the cavalry, but Sam wanted to stay and figure everything out." He smiled sadly. "She always did like a good puzzle."  
  
"Yeah." Daniel agreed, the same sadness relfected in his eyes. "So Sam gets one of her brilliant ideas. If Thor's consciousness could be uploaded into the computer system, then it could be downloaded as well."  
  
Jack nodded. "Jacob and Davis had already gotten off the ship, and we tried to follow. But our way was blocked as more water flooded the ship. We couldn't get out. And to make things worse, now that Thor had been downloaded, he was no longer in control of the ship, and the self destruct countdown had begun again. We had about a minute, before we would be blown up."  
  
"I am intrigued." Tuovk said. "How did you escape?"  
  
Intrigued was putting it mildly. I was enthralled. How were they going to get out? I couldn't see any way to do it.  
  
"So Jack, of course, states something he thinks is quite obvious, but really isn't." Daniel said. "He tells us we're going to fly the gliders out. From the hanger bay."  
  
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "An interesting solution. But would the gliders be able to stand the pressure?"  
  
"Jack said they would, and we trusted him." Daniel said. "They did."  
  
"But that wasn't the end of our problems." Jack said. "It had obviously been too easy for us. You see, we couldn't activate the force field that would keep the water out of the hanger while we flew out."  
  
"What did you do?" Madison asked.  
  
"Well, that's the interesting part." Daniel said, before Jack could answer. "It seems Jack had a hobby of studying the schematics of Goa'uld ships. He told us to wait there, while he found a way to access a control panel and activate the shield." Daniel turned to glare almost teasingly at Jack. "And of course, being Jack, he didn't take the easy way."  
  
"Hey! I did, too." Jack protested.  
  
"Oh, so swimming through a flooded corridor, hot wiring a control panel while underwater, before transporting yourself across the ship using the rings, was the easy way, was it?" Daniel asked sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah." Jack said. "I didn't try rewiring it on the outside, now did I?"  
  
Daniel snorted, by said nothing. After a second, Jack continued the story. "So then all we had to do was fly the gliders out of the hanger, through the water and then back home."  
  
"You flew underwater?" Tom asked. "Is that even possible?"  
  
"Oh, it is." Jack said. "Fun, too. Almost like everything's been sped up and slowed down at the same time. There's nothing else like it."  
  
"Don't even think about it, Tom" I said, when I saw Tom's expression. "The Captain would probably kill you if you tried to fly the Delta Flyer underwater."  
  
Tom sighed sadly. "It's a pity though."  
  
Jack grinned at him in an understanding way. "Yeah." He said. "Sometimes I wish I was still flying my fighter. Just so I could do somersaults and flybys – with the sole purpose of knowing I could do it."  
  
"And driving people crazy would just be a perk, wouldn't it Jack?" Daniel said in a knowing tone.  
  
Jack smiled. "Oh, yeah."  
  
I chuckled. It struck me at that moment just how like Tom, Jack really was. They both had that sense of recklessness that came with being a pilot. It was just something they were born with that seemed to make them better pilots than those who played it safe – when they weren't trying to kill themselves, of course.  
  
At that moment, B'Elanna and Riley entered the mess hall. Spotting us, they headed over, chatting animatedly all the while. I watched them in curiosity. I remembered Tom telling me that B'Elanna had been rather hostile towards Riley during their time on the Cube, and then on the planet. But I could see no sign of any hostility now. They just looked like they were friends – which was strange for B'Elanna. She usually took a while to warm up to people.  
  
"Sir." Riley greeted as she reached the table.  
  
"Commander." B'Elanna said. "Tom."  
  
"B'Elanna." I replied.  
  
"You kids have fun?" Jack asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Riley grinned. "There's nothing like kicking ass to get the blood pumping."  
  
"What were you doing?" I asked curiously.  
  
"We were on the holodeck." B'Elanna explained. "You know, I take back anything I might have said about those knives. She's really quite good with them."  
  
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. B'Elanna complimenting people about their fighting skills was something that never happened. Well, it seemed, almost never. I looked at Riley. She must be good with those knives.  
  
"She is, isn't she?" Jack said. "I've seen her do things I didn't even know were possible with those things."  
  
Daniel grinned. "And he was sooo jealous."  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Was to!"  
  
"Boys!" Riley teased. "Play nice, now."  
  
Jack turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Sir." She added.  
  
Daniel laughed. "That's right. Be a good boy, Jack."  
  
Jack looked at Daniel and then straight at me. "I get no respect." He said. "Do you ever have these problems?"  
  
"All the time." I said wryly.  
  
"So what were you guys up to while we weren't here?" Riley asked.  
  
"The Colonel was just telling us about the time he flew underwater." Tom said.  
  
"Yeah." Riley smiled. "That's a good story. No one could believe it the first time we all heard it."  
  
From there, the conversation became a war about who could tell the best story...with lots of bickering and teasing involved. I was yawning tiredly by the time Tom finished telling the story about time Seska and the Kazon had captured Voyager. "I think this is where I have to say goodnight." I said. "Unlike some, I have a shift in a couple of hours and would like some sleep."  
  
Tom chuckled, and then he yawned too. "Good idea."  
  
Gradually everyone said their goodnights and we all went our separate ways. I smiled when I thought about how our guests had changed. They were no longer the cold, reserved people we had first met. And I had a feeling that I might miss that soon. Particularly Jack and Daniel. They seemed just like Tom and Harry – which met they would be always creating trouble for everyone else. And I couldn't wait to see just what Harry and Tom thought about that.

* * *

JACK:  
  
The next week followed quickly. Our time was spent visiting the holodeck and taking to the crew of Voyager...and Danny and I might have gotten into a bit of mischief too. Well, maybe more than a bit of mischief. We had pretty much declared a playful war on Tom and Harry. And we were winning, of course. But I had a feeling the Captain might have something to say about it soon.  
  
So it wasn't really a big surprise when Captain Janeway approached us during one of our meals. We always spent them with the crew now. They seemed particularly fond of our stories. Janeway had even heard a few herself. "Jack, can I have a word?" she asked.  
  
"Sure." I replied. "What's up?"  
  
She motioned me a little distance away from everyone else, her expression serious. I felt a moment of dread. Something was wrong. "Jack, I have some news...but it may not be the easiest to hear."  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"Seven has been going over the data we took when you first travelled to the planet where we found you." She paused.  
  
"And?" I prompted.  
  
"She believes what the Borg Queen said was correct. That your reality has been split in two."  
  
I stood there in shock for a moment. "What exactly does that mean?" I asked.  
  
"Seven believes that the reality is divided..." she said.  
  
"You mean Sam could still be alive?" I broke in.  
  
"Yes." She said. "And Seven believes she has a way to send you back...if that's what you want." 


	21. Part Twenty One

DANIEL:  
  
I was laughing at one of Tom's stories when Jack came back to the table. It felt my smile fade when I saw his expression. It was full of pain and anguish. I wondered what the Captain had said. "Jack, what's wrong?" I asked.  
  
"Mia, Riley, Daniel." He said seriously. "There's something you need to hear."  
  
Janeway nodded. "Please." She added.  
  
Wordlessly, I got up and followed Jack as a feeling or apprehension and dread came over me. What the hell was going on? I shot Tom and Chakotay a glance before I left, but they both shook their heads. They didn't know what was going on either. Silently, we all made our way down to Astrometrics. As we walked, I shared a look with Riley. She looked as worried as I felt. What was going on?  
  
My mind whirled as I followed Jack down the corridor. Had they found some way to send us back? And if Janeway had, why was Jack so serious? I would have thought he would have been happy. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe we couldn't go back.  
  
As I thought about it, I decided it probably wouldn't be so bad if we didn't go home. God knew there wasn't anything left for me there. Everyone I cared about was here, with me. Then I sighed. I didn't really want to stop fighting the Goa'uld though. I knew there were other people who could and did fight the Goa'uld too, but I knew so much about them that could help. And I had finally realised I still wanted to help.  
  
We walked into Astrometrics and saw Seven waiting for us. I gave her a small smile and waited for the bad news. Jack looked at us, and then at me. "I don't..." he trailed off. "Danny, I..."  
  
"Maybe I should explain, Colonel." Seven said after a moment.  
  
"Yeah." He agreed with a sigh.  
  
Okay, now I was getting scared. What the hell was this big secret?  
  
"This will not be the easiest thing to hear." Seven said. "But I believe your reality has been split in two. Probably by the weapon you call the 'Eye of Ra'."  
  
Seven stared steadily at us while I tried to sort through what she had just said. Split? What did that mean? Talk about shocking words. Those were probably at about the top of the list. Had she meant what I thought she meant?  
  
"Simply put, this means: what exists in one half of your reality does not exists in the other." Seven continued. "The Eye of Ra released a large amount of energy that managed to rip the fabric of your reality apart. How: I don't know."  
  
My mind whirled in confusion. Then I looked at Jack and noticed the joy hidden in the back of his eyes, as if he didn't want to believe. She had meant what I thought she had! A surge of joy flew through me and almost knocked my off my feet. I can't explain what I felt, but it was the most amazing feeling I think I've ever felt in my life! "Janet...Sam...Teal'c..." I breathed. "They're still alive!"  
  
Pure joy burst into my heart as I said the words, chasing away all the shadows I had thought would stay there forever. I felt it surge through my blood and ripple through my soul, making my feel so alive! Janet...I saw her beautiful face in my mind. Janet. My love. She was alive! I felt like laughing and dancing and crying all at once. I had a need to find her and hold her and never let her go. But then another thought hit me. "But if they're alive..." I began.  
  
"...then they think we're dead." Jack finished. "Yeah."  
  
Suddenly I knew what Jack had seemed so sad. I know all the pain I had been through when Janet had died. It was awful. It had been black despair for so long...and I had also suffered at the hands of the Goa'uld. Had Janet faced the same pain? My heart broke a little to think about what she must have gone through. And Sam. And Teal'c...  
  
Beside me, Riley had fallen to her knees in shock and Mia was weeping silent tears. "We have to go back." Riley said suddenly.  
  
"Definitely." There was no doubt in my mind. I need to go back. And I would do anything. I was going to get back, no matter what.  
  
"I thought you would say that." Janeway said. "But I have to warn you. It will take us about a week to get back to the planet."  
  
I nodded. It almost hurt, the knowledge I would have to wait...but it was a momentary pain. Right now I needed to help figure out how we would mend the tear in our reality and get back to our own world. "How are we going to get back to our own reality?" Jack asked, the same thoughts running through his mind. "And how can we put it back together?"  
  
"That should be relatively easy." Seven said. "A small matter charge should be enough to cause you to jump dimensions again. But it will destroy the stargate."  
  
Jack nodded. "And fixing the split?" I asked eagerly.  
  
"Well, since I believe that a surge of energy caused the split, removing that energy should cause the reality to knit back together."  
  
"And how will you be able to manage that?" Jack asked.  
  
"A small anti-matter explosion."  
  
"Anti-matter?"  
  
"Anti-matter is that opposite of matter." Captain Janeway explained. "You know that matter releases energy when it explodes? Well, anti-matter does the opposite."  
  
"It absorbs energy." I said, my mind whirling with the implications of this. Could I really be going home? And would I really see Janet again? I wasn't sure whether I wanted to believe it or not.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
The idea sounded crazy. But no more crazy than some of the ideas Sam had come up with in the past. And it sounded like it could work. "Thank you." I told Seven and Janeway. "For everything."  
  
"I was glad I could help." Seven replied.  
  
I was in a dream for the next few days. As was everyone else. Rumours spread through the crew almost as soon as we had left Astrometrics. But I hadn't cared. The news had been a real shock. I had just accepted the fact that my friends were all dead, and then I was told that maybe they weren't. It was just too much. Three days after the new had hit, I decided to go out and face the world again. Jack and Mia had taken the news a lot better than Riley and me. Almost an hour after the news, Jack had been walking around with a large grin on his face and a joke for everyone. You don't often realise it, because he hides it well, but Jack's a romantic at heart. And he could simply accept his love had returned to him.  
  
I had to take a little more time. I think it came from the way I felt compelled to question everything I came across. It was the scientist in me. Riley, on the other hand, had taken the news very hard. I left her curled up on the bunk and wondered if I should tell Jack. But I didn't want to impose on his happiness. He deserved a little in his life. I sighed. What should I do? And then I had an idea. I gave a small smile and turned towards Engineering.  
  
When I got there, I was confronted by chaos. People were running everywhere and B'Elanna's voice was yelling orders above all the noise. I took a moment to find a gap and watched in amazement as everyone seemed to go exactly where they were needed. "B'Elanna?" I called.  
  
"Yeah?" A voice snapped, and I was greeted by the sight of a slightly frustrated B'Elanna. Her expression softened when she saw me. "Daniel. What can I do for you?"  
  
At my name and appearance I saw a few of the crew glance curiously at me, but a glare from B'Elanna made them concentrate really hard on what they were supposed to be doing. "I was wondering if you could go and see Riley after your shift." I said. "Maybe...I don't know...take her down to the holodeck or something. I don't think she's taking the news very well. It's kind of shaken her up again."  
  
"I'll go and see her." B'Elanna told me. "And I'll try and help."  
  
"Thanks." I said gratefully.  
  
B'Elanna just shrugged. "I kind of like her." She said. "She's got spirit."  
  
I smiled at that. B'Elanna would never admit to really liking her in public like that. But I knew she cared. "I'll let you get back then." I said, and turned to leave.  
  
"Good." She said. "I'll see you later."  
  
I left the noisy chaos of the Engineering and wandered almost aimlessly down a corridor. I walked, lost in thought, for about an hour. I thought about anything and everything. Janet's smile. How I would miss Voyager and her crew. What it would mean when we went back. What would happen. What had happened to me over the last few years. I was so lost in thought, I didn't hear Jack come up behind me.  
  
"Penny for you thoughts?" he said.  
  
"Jack!" I said, turning in surprise.  
  
"Danny."  
  
I rubbed a hand tiredly over my face. "I'm just thinking." I said.  
  
"About Janet?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yeah. And everyone else."  
  
"Wanna talk about it?"  
  
"It's nothing. I'm just..." I said.  
  
"Wondering how you're going to react when you see her again?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Jack said. I looked at him. "Your heart knows, it's just your head that hasn't caught up yet. You love her. She loves you. That's all that matters."  
  
I told you. Jack was a hopeless romantic deep down. But, strangely, his words comforted me. It was true. I loved Janet and she loved me. We'd work it out. I smiled. Maybe Jack wasn't the only romantic around. "Now, wanna get something to eat?"  
  
"Yeah." I said. "I would."  
  
The table was crowded with people as we all sat around, eating and laughing. Everyone was here. Tom, Harry, Chakotay, Jack, Mia, Tuvok...even Seven and the Captain had come. I noticed Jack and Janeway were talking quietly to each other. I smiled when I caught Janeway's expression. She had the look of someone who was hearing something she didn't want to know. Jack could be like that sometimes.  
  
"What's the smile for?" Chakotay asked me. "I'm not sure Harry's story was that funny."  
  
"I'm just smiling at your Captain's expression. Jack has her cornered. No doubt he's telling her some sort of insight that she'd rather not hear." I smiled at Chakotay. "I've been on the receiving end of that once or twice. It's not fun."  
  
Chakotay smiled. "Truth is sometimes hard to hear."  
  
"Don't I know it." I agreed.  
  
At that moment, B'Elanna and Riley walked up to the table and tried to find somewhere to sit amongst the mass of people. I noticed Riley's eyes were red, as if she had been crying and she had a new bruise on her cheekbone. "Riley, are you all right?" I asked.  
  
She reached up and touched the bruise. "I'm still in one piece, so I think so." She said.  
  
"B'Elanna, what did you do?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"I got her to stop feeling sorry for herself." B'Elanna said.  
  
"Yeah." Riley said. "She threatened to kick my ass if I didn't."  
  
I grinned. "You mean she would have tried."  
  
"Hey!" B'Elanna objected.  
  
Riley grinned, and I noticed just how beautiful she was. Her green eyes lit up form the inside and you could see the joy on her face. A joy I knew well. Everything, it seemed, was going to work out just fine – those we cared about were alive. "Yeah." She agreed.  
  
Suddenly Tom turned to us, excited. "I know what we should do!" he said.  
  
"What?" I asked warily.  
  
"Nothing like that." He told me, and Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "We should go to the holodeck. Harry and I finished our new programme yesterday, and we wanted to show you."  
  
I nodded curiously. "I wouldn't mind seeing that." I said.  
  
"Good." He replied. "Let's go!"  
  
JACK:  
  
I watched Daniel carefully out the corner of my eye. He was looking happier than he had before. I understood why he was acting so cautiously. Hope was a precious thing. But it was also fragile. Daniel hadn't wanted to believe Janet was still alive, because if he allowed himself to hope, then that hope could be crushed as much as it could be fulfilled. But Janet was alive. So was Sam and Teal'c and everyone else. I wouldn't let myself believe anything else.  
  
I turned to Janeway and saw her looking speculatively at her First Officer. I smiled when I imagined the thoughts playing through her head. I had been in a similar situation to her when I fell in love with Sam. "So, are you going to do anything about it?" I asked.  
  
She looked at me in surprise, my voice jerking her out of her thoughts. "What?"  
  
"Are you going to do anything about him?" I asked again, nodding towards Chakotay.  
  
"I..." Kathryn trailed off, and blushed. "I don't know."  
  
She looked at me with a torn look in her eyes. "I don't know what to do." She said. "I'm the Captain of my ship. I have a duty to my crew. A duty that is even more important now that we're so far from home."  
  
"You also have a duty to your heart." I said.  
  
"I know." She looked at me so sadly. "But I'm the Captain. My crew has to come first."  
  
"And it always will." I said. I knew all about her problem. I was a leader myself. And while I might not be in control of a large starship, I had a lot of people back at the SGC depending on me.  
  
She nodded. "So I have to be strong." She said.  
  
"Yes, you do." I agreed. "But you also have to ask yourself this question: What do the crew need more? A distant Captain who does her duty, or a leader they can look up to, who is just as human as they are?"  
  
She looked at me. "But..." She shook her head. "I have to be someone strong for them. To show them that they can't give up."  
  
"Yes." I said. "And I'm not going to tell you it's easy. Both you and I know it's not. But you can afford to show some feelings, you know. The crew respect you. They would follow you, wherever you choose to go. Choosing to love someone isn't going to change that. In face it might make them respect you more. Because it will show them that no matter where they are, life goes on."  
  
Kathryn looked at me, still uncertain, but finally willing to listen to her heart. "Now all you have to do is tell him how you feel." I said.  
  
"Only?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.  
  
I grinned. I noticed at that moment that everyone was getting up. I looked over at Daniel. "What's going on?" I asked.  
  
"We're heading down to the holodeck to see Tom and Harry's latest creation." He told me.  
  
I grinned. "Sounds interesting. Can I come?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
As I got up to leave, I heard Kathryn's hesitant voice behind me and grinned. "Chakotay, can I have a word with you?"  
  
"Of course." Chakotay answered, and my grin widened.  
  
Daniel caught me when he glanced back. "What are you up to, Jack?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing." I replied innocently, but I don't think he believed me. 


	22. Part Twenty Two

RILEY:  
  
I lay curled on the bunk, not wanting to move. This couldn't be real. I felt the pain in my chest and didn't want to believe it. Conner was gone. My husband was gone. I could hope for anything else. I just couldn't. Tears fell down my cheeks and wet the pillow. Hope could be crushed so easily. I wouldn't survive if that happened to me again. I just couldn't.  
  
Memories filled with intense pain flashed before my eyes. The torture, waking up and seeing him again...until one day he wasn't there anymore. Just a crumpled body that held no light, no love, no soul. A body that I had stared at for hours, looking at the broken face of my love. I couldn't do that again.  
  
"Get up!" a voice snapped.  
  
I didn't reply. "GET UP!" the voice roared.  
  
I rolled to my feet in a swift movement, and swung, barely halting my fist before it hit B'Elanna in the face. "Go away!" I growled.  
  
"No." B'Elanna looked at me, her eyes hard. Then she grinned. "You're going to have to make me leave."  
  
I stood there, angry and frustrated, my fist still hovering above B'Elanna face. "Don't make me hurt you." I said coldly.  
  
B'Elanna's grin turned predatory. "Go ahead." She said. "Hit me."  
  
As angry as I was, I couldn't see any reason not to. I just wanted to be left alone. I couldn't deal with this. So I drew back my other fist and swung at her. She dodged nimbly back. Growling, I leapt off the bed and swung again and again and again. B'Elanna dodged each time, never once striking back. My swings were clumsy and fuelled by anger, but I couldn't stop. I just wanted to be left alone...because then no one could hurt me. I could pretend this wasn't happening to me.  
  
Slowly I stopped swinging, and sank to the floor, tears streaming down my face. "I can't do this!"  
  
"Yes you can." B'Elanna said.  
  
"No! I can't!" I yelled at her. "I can't live through that pain again."  
  
"You can, and you will." B'Elanna said. "It might not seem like it, but you will."  
  
I shook my head, still sobbing. "It's too hard!"  
  
"Life is hard!" B'Elanna snapped, out of patience. "That's what makes living worthwhile. You can't know happiness if you don't know pain!"  
  
I surged to my feet and glared up at her. "What do you know?!" I snapped.  
  
B'Elanna just glared at me. Then she reached her hand back and backhanded my across the face. Stunned by the blow, my head snapped to the side. I just looked at B'Elanna. "Wake up!" she snapped.  
  
I stood there, the right side of my face throbbing, and just blinked. I stood like that for about ten minutes. And slowly I felt like I was waking up. Everything began to seem clearer to me. Conner was alive! Why was I crying? Even if it wasn't true...no, I wouldn't think about that. He was alive. He was alive!  
  
I reached up a hand and touched my cheek bone. "Thanks." I said. "I think."  
  
"No problem." B'Elanna said. "You feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah." I said, then I winced. "Well, kind of. That's one hell of a punch."  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that." She said.  
  
"I'll be alright." I said. "I think I'll live."  
  
"Oh, you will." B'Elanna said seriously. "Now, let's go join the others."

* * *

JANEWAY:  
  
I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I was doing this. My stomach tied itself in knots as I tried to appear calm. I watched everyone get up to leave. It was now or never. "Chakotay, can I have a word with you?" I said and hated how unsure I sounded.  
  
"Of course." He answered.  
  
I looked around me at the filled room and shook my head. "Not here."  
  
He nodded and followed me as I headed for my ready room. When we got there, I went and sat on my desk. I didn't really want to sit behind it, but I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. I looked at Chakotay and took a deep breath. He was looking at me, curiosity in his eyes. I smiled softly as I simply looked at him. He was a very handsome man.  
  
"Captain?" he asked when he saw me smile.  
  
Damn it, I didn't know what to say! I growled softly and leapt up. I began pacing the room. What was I supposed to say to him? "I don't know how to say this!" I snarled.  
  
"Now, that doesn't sound much like Captain Janeway." Chakotay remarked.  
  
I shot him a glare as I turned, my hands on my hips. "Well it is!" I snapped.  
  
Then I closed my eyes. This was not going well. He had barely said two words to me, and I was already snapping at him. "What is it?" he asked softly.  
  
I opened my eyes and saw the concern in his. That was my undoing. I owed it to him to just tell the truth. 'Here goes,' I thought.  
  
"Chakotay, I have to tell you the truth." He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to halt him. "Let me finish. Please. This is just something I have to say." I paused for a second. "I can understand it you don't feel the same, but you have to know."  
  
I looked straight at Chakotay and saw his puzzled expression. "I am the Captain of Voyager." I continued, trying to build up my courage. I truly cared for Chakotay and it was time he knew that. But actually telling him was harder than I thought it would have been. "And I have a duty to my crew."  
  
I took a hesitant step forward. "But that's not all of who I am."  
  
"I know that." Chakotay said. "You're a warm and passionate woman who I am honoured to call a friend."  
  
"And I, you." I replied.  
  
That was one of the things I loved about Chakotay. The way he was always willing to give me support and comfort. Then I sucked in a sharp breath. Loved. One of the things I _loved_ about Chakotay. I loved him. _I loved him_. Where had that come from? And how was I going to tell him? Actually, when I thought about it, I knew why I loved him. He had always been there for me, through the good and the bad, offering comfort and support.  
  
"I also know you are a Captain loyal to her crew." Chakotay said, breaking into my thoughts. "But I don't understand why you're telling me this."  
  
"I'm telling you this because I don't have enough courage to say what I really want to." I said softly.  
  
"That I find hard to believe. You're one of the bravest women I know."  
  
"But not brave enough to tell you this." I said.  
  
I looked into his warm brown eyes. I took a deep breath. I had to do this. I _wanted_ to do this. "Chakotay...I care about you more than a friend should. I simply can't imagine my life without you anymore."  
  
He looked at me, surprised. I closed my eyes and blurted it out. "Chakotay, I love you."  
  
The words seemed to hand in the air. I heard him move forward in the silence. When his warm hand cupped my cheek, my eyes snapped open. Was this really happening?  
  
"Kathryn?" he said. "You love me?"  
  
"Yes." I breathed. "I love you Chakotay."  
  
As I spoke, he broke into a massive grin. His beautiful brown eyes sparkled with joy. "I love you too." He whispered, and kissed me.  
  
His lips were so tender and so _right_ that it took a moment for his words to register. _I love you too._ He loved me! Joy sang through me as I reached up and threw my arms around his neck. At that moment, life was beautiful. Perfect.  
  
The kiss deepened as he slid his tongue through my parted lips. I revelled in his taste. He was dark and sweet and mine. _Mine_. I liked the sound of that. His hands gently cupped my face, before fisting in my hair as the kiss grew more passionate.  
  
I couldn't seem to get close enough to him. I pressed closer, feeling the warm, hard flesh beneath his uniform. It felt so good. He felt so good. I finally understood what Jack had meant. This was heaven. Slowly we broke apart, both of us breathing hard. I felt dazed. I couldn't think. "You love me?" I said stupidly.  
  
"I always have." He replied.  
  
I smiled. I felt so free. And I finally let go of Captain Janeway and became Kathryn. "Good." I said and dragged his lips back to mine.

* * *

RILEY:  
  
"Do you think we should wait for the Captain and the Commander?" Harry asked.  
  
The Colonel grinned. "No." he said. "They might be a while."  
  
I shot a glance at Jack, as Daniel narrowed his eyes at Jack. "What the hell are you up to?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing." Jack replied.  
  
I didn't believe him. He had a sneaky look in his eyes. "Jack..." Daniel growled. It seemed like Daniel didn't believe him either.  
  
"I'm afraid I agree with Daniel on this one, sir." I said. "What are you up to?"  
  
"And what were you talking to the Captain about?" Daniel added.  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow at us. "All I did was give her a nudge." He said.  
  
"A nudge?" Tom asked.  
  
A nudge? What did he mean? I looked from Jack's grinning face to Daniel's serious one. And then something dawned on Daniel's face. What was it? I shot a glance at Mia and she nodded her head towards Jack. Then she grinned. I still didn't know what was going on. What was so important about the Commander and Captain not joining us? And then my eyes widened in surprise. Oh. _Oh_. I looked at Jack and blinked.  
  
"You didn't!" Daniel said from beside me.  
  
Jack's grin widened. "I did." He said. "They deserve some happiness."  
  
"Happiness?" B'Elanna snapped. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I believe you will find out soon enough." Tuvok said.  
  
I looked at him. He knew. I could see it, and I could have sworn he was trying not to smile. I sighed. Jack would be Jack. I turned to Tom. "Are we going to start this holoprogram then?" I asked.  
  
Tom, B'Elanna and Harry looked like they wanted to argue, but they didn't. "Computer, start program Paris Kim alpha 3." Tom said.  
  
Suddenly we were in a large room and surrounded by Jaffa. I tensed. I could help it. They forced us to our knees, just as a tall man stalked into the room, his eyes flashing white. "I am your God! You dare defy me?!" he yelled.  
  
I shared a glance with B'Elanna. She grinned back. This could be fun. A chance to show Voyager just what SG-1 was made of. I nodded slightly, counted to ten and lunged. 


	23. Part Twenty Three

JACK:  
  
I raised my eyebrow at Daniel when I saw Riley launch herself at the Jaffa, closely followed by B'Elanna. He smiled softly at me and nodded. He had my back, just like I had his. I kicked backwards and threw myself to the right as Daniel yelled out in a loud voice, "Jaffa, kree!"  
  
The Jaffa snapped to attention for a second, giving Riley, B'Elanna and me all the time we needed. A minute later all the Jaffa had been knocked unconscious. When everyone got up and turned, we all saw Mia sitting on an unconscious System Lord. "What should I do with him?" she asked me.  
  
At that moment a loud siren came on and a voice began talking in Goa'uld. I turned to Daniel. "What?" he asked defensively. "I wanted to make it realistic."  
  
I shook my head. "What does it say?"  
  
"Oh, self destruct in fifteen minutes." He replied.  
  
"Fifteen minutes!" B'Elanna snapped.  
  
Harry looked almost anxiously towards me. "What do we do?"  
  
"Well, I suggest getting off the ship." I said. Then I caught sight of Tom's grinning face. "But somehow I don't think it will be that easy."  
  
Mia was still sitting on the Goa'uld. "Should I just leave him, then?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah." I said. "Why not?"  
  
She glance sharply at me, the shrugged. I grinned. I knew what she meant. If this had been real, there would have been no way we would have left the System Lord alive, especially alone. But this wasn't real and the Goa'uld didn't seem real to me either – it just didn't look right. Besides, I wanted to see what the Voyager crew would do when he woke up. Because he would. They always did.  
  
I looked over at Tom. "So, where's the exit?" I asked.  
  
Tom grinned. "This way." He said and headed off down the corridor.  
  
We all followed, and before long I heard some familiar footsteps. Immediately, I tensed, going for my weapons and snarling when they weren't where they should be. "Not real, Jack. Remember?" Daniel whispered from beside me.  
  
I relaxed a little and noticed Mia and Riley doing the same. I smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry." I whispered to Daniel.  
  
He smiled in understanding. He knew, just as I did, it was hard not react like that. When I saw the Goa'uld and Jaffa I could see they weren't real. They looked different. But they did sound eerily like the real thing. If I didn't know better, I would say they _were_ real.  
  
By now, the footsteps had gotten louder and the Jaffa had gotten closer. I stepped off to the side, motioning Danny to come with me, just as the Jaffa rounded the corner. "Jack..." Daniel began.  
  
"Ssh." I said. "Just watch."  
  
Daniel gave me a funny look, but did as I asked anyway. As I watched, I saw B'Elanna pivot and thump one of the Jaffa in the stomach making him double over in pain. A blow to the head soon sent him sprawling. Riley had already finished off a Jaffa and was moving on to the next one. Mia punched one of the Jaffa, slamming him backwards into the wall behind him. Tom and Harry were standing off to the side, grinning. As was Tuvok, except he wasn't smiling. But it was Seven who surprised me the most, although it shouldn't have. She efficiently knocked out one Jaffa with a nasty looking punch, before dealing a nice roundhouse to the head of another. I hadn't realised she could do that.  
  
I looked over at Daniel. "See?" I said.  
  
He grinned back at me. "Yeah, I get it." He said. "You're just lazy."  
  
"Hey!" I protested. I wasn't that lazy.  
  
"So," Riley said when all the Jaffa were unconscious. "What do we do now?"  
  
Tom just grinned. Three Jaffa patrols later we arrived in a room that was richly decorated in gold and had an elaborate ring design on the floor. I raised my eyebrow when I saw that. "Five minutes left." Daniel said.  
  
I nodded – and then couldn't help smiling when I heard a familiar voice. "Jaffa, capture the traitors!"  
  
I turned and saw the System Lord staring at us, surrounded by Jaffa. "I am your God!" The Goa'uld snapped. "Bow down and be punished for your insolence!"  
  
"Ah..." I pretended to think about it for a second. "How about 'no'?"  
  
The Goa'uld's eyes flashed white. "I AM YOUR GOD!" he roared.  
  
"Actually," Daniel interrupted. "You're not. You were worshipped as Seth or Set in Ancient Egypt, roughly 4000 years ago. None of us are actually for Egypt, nor are we over 4000 years old...so you can't actually be our God."  
  
The Goa'uld blinked, unsure of how to take Daniel's method of defiance. I bit back a laugh. Leave it to Danny to confound the Goa'uld with history!  
  
"It seems the Goa'uld is impressed by your knowledge, Dr. Jackson." Tuvok said.  
  
I grinned. "Oh, yeah." I said. "That's our Danny. Full of knowledge."  
  
"Jaffa!" the Goa'uld roared.  
  
"No, no, no." I heard Riley say. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with large pointy sticks?"  
  
I turned to see Riley, Mia, B'Elanna and Seven standing behind the Jaffa, effectively holding them hostage. I chuckled softly as I saw Riley's knife at the throat of what appeared to be the First Prime. As I watched all the women efficiently knocked all the Jaffa out and advanced on the Goa'uld.  
  
"I suggest you surrender now." I told him, conversationally. "I mean, do you really want to be beaten up by a girl? 'Cause they really look like they want to beat you up. I can see it in their eyes."  
  
But before the Goa'uld could do anything, Mia and Seven each grabbed hold of an arm and Riley held her knife to his throat – before B'Elanna took one look at him and knocked him out with a punch to the jaw. I winced. That looked like it would hurt.  
  
Riley looked over at me. "Thanks so much for your help, sir." She said sarcastically.  
  
"No problem." I replied. "Danny, hit the ring transporters, will ya?"  
  
Daniel pressed the button. Everything suddenly went black and a female voice spoke out of the darkness. "Congratulations. You are still alive." It said. "You have successfully escaped from the Goa'uld System Lord. Have a nice day."  
  
"Have a nice day?" I echoed as the dim lights came back on, and we all found ourself back on the empty holodeck.  
  
Harry smiled sheepishly. "I thought it would be fun." He said.  
  
There was a moment of comfortable silence as everyone thought for a moment. "I must say, that was a refreshing and interesting programme." Seven said. "I think I will try it again."  
  
"Indeed." Tuvok agreed.  
  
"Not bad." I said.  
  
"Thanks." Tom said.  
  
"Anyone want to get something to eat?" B'Elanna asked suddenly. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Me too." Riley said, then she turned to the rest of us. "Anyone want to join us?"  
  
"No, thank you, Lieutenant Colonel." Tuvok said. "I need to finish a diagnostic for the Captain."  
  
"And I would like to show Mia something in Astrometrics." Seven added.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
I glanced at Daniel and grinned. "Jack..." he warned. "Don't even think about it."  
  
Think about what? Just because I wanted to take a casual walk, which might just happen to go past the Captain's ready room didn't mean I was going to get into mischief.  
  
"What?" I asked. All three members of my time glared at me. "Okay, okay." I said. "I'd be delighted to come." I told Riley.  
  
"Tom? Harry?" B'Elanna asked.  
  
"Why not?" Tom said.  
  
I smiled wryly. "I could give you several reasons." I told him.  
  
We all left the holodeck then, and as we walked towards the mess hall, I noticed Daniel keeping his eye on me. "What?" I said. "I'm not going anywhere!"  
  
Daniel just raised an eyebrow and kept on walking. 


	24. Part Twenty Four

TOM:  
  
I set Voyager in orbit around the planet where we had found Jack, Mia, Riley and Daniel. I felt a pang of sadness as I watched the brown planet below me. Now that we were here, they would be leaving soon. And I didn't want them to leave. The crew had accepted them so completely, as had I, that they were all part of the family now. And they were my friends.  
  
Jack, with his sarcastic sense of humour and streak of mischievousness. Daniel, with his earnest expression and caring nature. Riley, with her cheekiness and need to answer every challenge. Mia, with her quiet personality and keen observations. When they had first come here, I have to admit, I didn't like them. They appeared so cold and hard – trying to hide so much pain. But I had got to know them and seen them change. And now I wanted them to stay with us.  
  
On the other hand, if what Seven said was true, I couldn't really stop them from going. They were going to see their loved ones again, and I wouldn't keep them from that for anything. I know what it feels like to be separated from the one you love – as did everyone on Voyager. No one wanted to keep SG-1 from that.  
  
I sighed and turned to the Captain. "We're in orbit, Captain." I said.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Paris." She replied.  
  
I grinned as I turned back to the helm. Everyone was trying to politely ignore the Captain and the Commander today – pretending, like we didn't see the glances they kept shooting at each other and they way they had arrived on shift together...with smiles on their faces. I bit my lip. It was so obvious. But no one I knew would ever complain that our Captain and Commander had finally admitted their feelings for each other...well, they might complain how long it had taken. But not that it had finally happened.  
  
"Mr. Kim, call the night shift. I want to see all the officers in my ready room."  
  
"Aye, Captain." Harry replied.  
  
I felt the Captain get up from behind me. It seemed it was time for SG-1 to leave. I got up as Madison entered the bridge, wondering how I was going to say goodbye.

* * *

JANEWAY:  
  
I smiled at Chakotay, trying to keep my mind on what I was doing. I tried not to blush when he grinned back, slightly wickedly. I was a Starfleet Captain! I did not blush! I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered the night before – not that I could really keep it from my mind. Chakotay, it seemed, had a knack for knowing just how to distract me from what I was supposed to be doing.  
  
"We're in orbit, Captain." Tom said.  
  
I dragged my thoughts back to what we were doing. We were now orbiting the planet where we had found Jack, Daniel, Riley and Mia. It was time. My mind filled with the details of what we were about to attempt, planning and double checking everything. "Mr. Kim, call the night shift." I said. "I want to see all the officers in my ready room."  
  
"Aye, Captain." He replied.  
  
I got up and left the bridge, Chakotay following me. I walked into my ready room and sighed. "Is everything alright?" Chakotay asked me.  
  
I turned and smiled at him. "I'm fine." I said. "I'll just be sad to see them go, that's all."  
  
"So will I." he said softly, just as the first of the officers entered.  
  
Soon everyone was here: Tuvok, Neelix, Tom, Harry, B'Elanna, Seven, the Doctor and SG-1. I looked at the faces around me, and saw their expressions of curiosity and hope. "So how are we going to do this?" Jack asked.  
  
Seven looked questioningly at me, as if asking for permission to answer the question. I nodded at her. "As soon as we engage the 'stargate', we will send the first charge through." She began. "This will be the antimatter charge, which should realign the two halves of your reality when detonated. I have equipped it with a small matter charge that will detonate halfway through the journey. If my calculations are correct, this should be enough to cause it to jump dimensions."  
  
"Unfortunately, this technique cannot be used with living matter, so we cannot detonate a charge while SG-1 is travelling through the wormhole." Seven continued. "So we shall have to destroy the 'stargate' about halfway through your journey, which should be enough to cause you to jump dimensions again."  
  
Jack nodded, looking thoughtful. "What are the risks?"  
  
"The charge we set to destroy the 'stargate' could destroy you as well. It would also completely destroy the 'stargate', so there will be no second chances." Seven replied.  
  
I watched the emotions flicker across Jack's face: the slight fear as he looked at his team, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the plan; the momentary pause and then the look of steely determination as he turned to me. "Let's do it." He said.  
  
I nodded. "Tom, prep the Delta Flyer. I want to leave as soon as possible."  
  
"Aye, Cap'n." he replied.  
  
"Seven, B'Elanna, are those charges ready?"  
  
"Yes, Captain." B'Elanna said.  
  
"All right." I said. "We leave in twenty minutes."

* * *

Twenty minutes later I walked into the hanger bay and was surprised to see just how full it was. I was struck at that moment by the way that the crew had accepted and befriended the lonely strangers we had found not so long ago. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to say goodbye and wish them good luck.  
  
As I looked about at my crew, I noticed something else as well. There was an air of determination to the gestures and words that hadn't been there before. SG-1 had given them hope. A hope that perhaps home wasn't so far away after all.  
  
"Are you ready?" Chakotay asked from behind me, as he laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.  
  
I leaned back into the gesture for a second as I accepted the comfort. Then I turned, and my heart did a funny little somersault in my chest at the sight of him. "As ready as I'll ever be." I said.  
  
He smiled. "I think we'll all miss them." He said. "They've become part of our family, despite the short time we've known them."  
  
I didn't have to ask who he was talking about. "I know." I agreed.  
  
We stood in silence for a moment, watching the goodbyes. Harry looked so sad. He had become very close to Daniel while he had been here, and they had surprised each other by the way they were so alike. Neelix was his usual enthusiastic self, but he seemed a little subdued. Even Tuvok and the Doctor seemed sad when they said farewell. I sighed. "You'd better say goodbye." I told Chakotay. "We'll be leaving soon."  
  
Chakotay was staying onboard Voyager, simply because we didn't have enough space in the Delta Flyer for everyone to come with us. It would already be crowded with Jack, Daniel, Mia, Riley, Seven, B'Elanna, Tom and me in it – in face I still wasn't sure we would all fit. He nodded and walked off to join the crowd around SG-1.  
  
All too soon, everyone had said what they wanted to say and were only delaying the inevitable. With a final glance at everyone, SG-1 climbed into the Delta Flyer, followed by Seven, B'Elanna and Tom. Jack paused for a moment, then turned back to the assembled crew.  
  
"Thank you." He said simply. "I don't think any of us will ever forget you. Because you gave us all back the hope we had lost. I won't wish you luck in finding your way home, because I know you won't need it."  
  
He smiled softly, and then climbed into the Flyer. I felt touched at his words, and deep down I was also reassured. I knew everyone had faith in me to lead them home, but to here Jack say it, knowing he knew just how hard it could be, reassured me more than anything else. I climbed into the Flyer behind him and shut the door. Minutes later, the crew had left the hanger and the Flyer was ready to go.  
  
As we flew out of the hanger bay, I caught Jack looking wistfully out of the window. "You know, I think I was born a century too soon." He said. "I would love to fly one of those."  
  
Tom looked at him, from where he was sitting in front of the controls. "You're kidding, right?" he said. "I would have thought flying fighter jets and gliders was a whole lot more fun than flying a starship."  
  
Jack flashed him a grin. "You might have a point." He said. "There is nothing like a fighter when you fly."  
  
The rest of the flight passed in comfortable silence, everyone seeming to be lost in there own thoughts. For some reason time seemed to pass all too quickly, and before I would have liked we were standing in front of the stargate on the dry, dusty planet. Although I shouldn't be so surprised, I reflected as I drew in a breath of hot, dry air. Thinks always seemed to pass more quickly when you didn't want them to.  
  
I felt the sweat begin to prickle on my skin as B'Elanna and Seven carefully brought the charges off the Flyer. "I guess this is it then." Jack said, coming up to stand next to me.  
  
He was dressed like he had been the first time I had seen him. He looked like something out of an old holovid or holodeck program. He wore black cargo pants tucked into the tops or army boots, a black jacket under a back vest covered in pockets. And he was well armed, even if the weapons did seem a bit old fashioned and strange to me. "I guess it is." I replied.  
  
"Thanks." He said. "For everything. I meant what I said back there. You've given us hope. And I don't just mean this whole thing with the split reality. You taught us that life goes on."  
  
"So does hope." I added. I smiled at him. "And you've given us hope too, Jack. Hope that we can get home if we believe in it enough."  
  
"You can do anything if you believe in it strongly enough." He said, and grinned. "I've found that out many times."  
  
We both turned back to the stargate and to where Seven and B'Elanna were setting up the charges and detonators. "I also wanted to thank you for giving me that final push." I said softly.  
  
I saw him smile out the corner of my eye, but he never took his eyes from the stargate. "No problem." He said. "I know what it's like."  
  
I would have replied, but at that moment Daniel walked over to the small mushroom shaped device beside the stargate and glanced at Jack. "Should I dial home?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah." Jack replied.  
  
I watched in fascination as Daniel pressed a series of symbols on the device and watched them light up with a soft orange glow. When he had finished, he pressed the large button in the middle and I almost jumped at the sound it caused. My eyes jumped to the stargate as it began to spin. I noticed B'Elanna and Tom were also staring at it in fascination, and Seven was busy taking readings with her padd.  
  
The ring set into the stargate began to spin, and as I watched, each of the arrows set into it lit up as a certain symbol hit it. Within minutes all seven arrows were lit up and the most interesting thing happened. What looked like a wave of water rushed out at us, before settling down into a rippling blue surface. It looked like the surface of a small lake, except for the fact it was standing vertically in the air.  
  
Seven quickly sent the first charge through and detonated it almost instantaneously, because of how fast it would be travelling through the wormhole. We saw a faint ripple through the surface before it disappeared. "Is it supposed to do that?" I asked Jack, hoping the charge had been successful.  
  
"Yeah." He replied. "That's just the gate shutting down."  
  
"Wow." Tom said. "That was amazing."  
  
"I have to agree." Seven said.  
  
As did I. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like it, and I doubted I ever would. Jack smiled. "It is pretty amazing, isn't it?"  
  
Then I saw him sigh. "I guess it's time to go, kids." He said to the rest of his team.  
  
He walked towards the gate, before turning back to look at us. "What can I say?" he asked. "'It was nice meeting you' doesn't seem to have the right ring to it, does it?"  
  
I smiled softly at him. "How about 'safe journey'?" I asked.  
  
He smiled back at me. "Well then. Safe journey. I hope you and Voyager see Earth again one day." He said.  
  
"And I hope you find the ones you love." I told him.  
  
I watched as Daniel dialled the gate again, and it was just as interesting the second time. I saw Seven walk towards the charge at the base of the stargate as SG-1 stepped towards the wormhole. "Goodbye, crew of Voayger." Mia said formally.  
  
"Yeah." Daniel said, smiling. "And don't ever stop trying to save the Universe. You never know, one day you just might do it."  
  
Riley grinned at B'Elanna. "Don't get into too much trouble." She said.  
  
"Same to you." B'Elanna shot back.  
  
Jack just smiled at us. Then he turned to his team. "Here we go guys." He said. "Let's go show everyone we're still alive and kicking."  
  
I watched as the four members of SG-1 step through the stargate and disappear. They were gone. Really gone. A second after Jack had gone through, Seven detonated the charge and I watched the stargate disappear too. As the smoke cleared and I saw the pile of rubble that was left I sent a prayer that it had worked. That Jack and his team had gotten through okay.  
  
Then I smiled. They had. I could feel it. 


	25. Part Twenty Five

SAM:  
  
"Jack." I said softly into the darkness.  
  
I turned, and my body pressed up against his hard one. I softly kissed his shoulder and my hand slid over his naked chest. "What are you thinking?"  
  
I felt him turn towards me and his arm tightened around my waist. "I can't let you do this, Sam." He said.  
  
"Jack." I said firmly. "I'm only leaving the Air Force, not the SGC. I want to be with you, Jack."  
  
And I did. I couldn't imagine not spending the rest of my life with Jack. The last years had been hell as I had to watch him continually risk his life for Earth and SG-1, and not being able to even touch him.  
  
"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret." Jack whispered.  
  
"I'd regret not giving myself a chance to live the rest of my life with you, more than I'd ever regret leaving the Air Force." I said, my heart pouring out through my words.  
  
"I love you Sam." He said softly.  
  
I felt my heart swell in my chest. "I know." I whispered back. "I love you too, Jack."  
  
Suddenly the room began to change as my memories crashed into one another. Darkness became light. I looked down in growing horror. Jack lay in my lap while the blood seeped out from beneath my hands that were tightly pressed against his chest. I felt as if someone had stabbed me through the heart.  
  
He lay there, looking like the warrior he was, while his life spilled out from beneath my hands. "Hang on, Jack. Hang on." I said.  
  
He smiled faintly. I love you Sam." He whispered.  
  
"I love you too." But it was too late. He was gone.  
  
Tears fell down my face as I stood up. I could hear the footsteps of the Jaffa coming nearer and nearer. With Jack's blood still on my hands, I curled my fist around the grip of my gun. Teal'c put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and saw the pain reflected in his eyes.  
  
"They are coming." He said.  
  
I nodded and looked at Janet, who was crouched beside Daniel, tears streaming down her face. I felt another stab of pain go through my heart. Daniel was dead, too.  
  
Janet nodded and looked sadly at the medical personnel lying dead around her. She looked at Daniel and finally let go of his hand. When she walked over to me, I handed her Jack's gun.  
  
She looked at me and understood. Nothing mattered anymore. Only killing those bastards. The three of us moved into the corridor and saw the surprised look of the Jaffa patrol. We all opened fire, walking slowly and steadily towards them until they were all dead.  
  
My sight blurred once more and with it came the memory of intense pain . . .  
  
"Sam." Said a soft voice. "Sam."  
  
My eyes flew open and I jerked into a sitting position. I blinked into the darkness and felt the sweat on my feverish skin. The blankets of my bed were a twisted mass beneath me and my heart was pounding. A faint light clicked on, and I squinted as I turned towards it. I recognised the room as my quarters within the SGC. I lived here now.  
  
Reality crashed down on me once more and I felt the usual weight settle on my heart. I looked at Janet who had turned on the light. She was standing beside the bedside table, Teal'c slightly behind her. "Sam." She said again. "The General wants to see us."  
  
I saw her frown and knew what she saw. My eyes were haunted and had deep purple shadows beneath them from lack of sleep. My body was more muscular than it had been and I had scars running down my arms and legs. My hair was also longer now. I hung almost down to my shoulders, and fell onto my face.  
  
"What time is it?" I asked her.  
  
"1600 hours." Janet said.  
  
I nodded and swung my feet onto the cold concrete floor. I noticed my green combat pants and black singlet were rumpled, but I didn't care. I shoved my bare feet into my boots and ran a hand through my hair. Grabbing a jacket from the end of my bed, I turned to Janet and Teal'c. "Let's go." I said.  
  
They both nodded, and I saw the haggard look on Janet's face, and knew she hadn't been sleeping either. She looked almost as bad as I did. Teal'c looked worse than usual as well, but he never acted like it. He just did whatever he had to do.  
  
As we walked up the stairs to the briefing room, I tied my hair back in a ponytail to keep it off my face. But just before we reached the room, the alarms went off. The gate was opening. I frowned and looked at Teal'c. He looked confused as me. There were no teams due in for at least 12 hours.  
  
We all headed for the control room. "We're receiving SG-1's GDO, sir." The Sergeant said.  
  
General Hammond looked at me. "Open the Iris." He ordered.  
  
The Iris opened as I nodded to the General, and I headed down to the gateroom, Teal'c and Janet not far behind me. As I entered the room, I saw a familiar figure step through the gate and my heart stopped beating. I was as if someone had reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart until it stopped.  
  
Jack.  
  
The word echoed through my head. He had stepped through the wormhole, followed by Daniel and two women. But my eyes were only for him. My fingers ached to trace over his familiar features, and my body ached to be held by him. I noticed he was leaner than I remembered and more muscular. He also had a jagged scar running down the left side of his face.  
  
When he saw me, I watched in amazement as his cold brown eyes turned into something vulnerable and full of hope. He almost ran towards me and then I was in his arms and he was kissing me and that was all that mattered.  
  
He crushed me to him and I held onto him just as tightly, never wanting to let go. My hands moved to fist in his hair, drawing him closer to me. I could feel the hard strength of his body against mine. His lips devoured mine like he was a dying man and I was the cure. He kissed me with such need and intense passion that I felt weak all over. I kissed him back with all my heart and poured all the longing, pain and passion I had felt over the past two years.  
  
We finally broke apart to breathe, but Jack held me tight in his arms. I felt warm tears of joy slide down my cheeks as something in my heart healed and warmed. I looked up at Jack and saw tears running down his face, too, and a look of wonderment on his face. "Sam." He said.  
  
"Jack." I whispered back.  
  
"JANET!" Daniel yelled as he saw her.  
  
I briefly heard his pounding footsteps behind me, before I turned and saw him pull Janet into a fierce kiss, tears streaming down his face. The expression in his eyes brought more tears to mine. It was just so full of joy.  
  
Then I turned back to Jack as Teal'c came up to us. I stepped away, gently giving Teal'c space to greet his friend. The look of wonderment on the Jaffa's face was almost heartbreaking. He looked almost like a little child.  
  
"O'Neill? Is that really you?" he asked softly, as if hardly daring to believe it.  
  
"Yes, Teal'c." Jack said and I heard the unconcealed joy in his tone. "It's really me."  
  
As I watched, Teal'c pulled Jack into a hug. A hug that Jack returned just as tightly. When he broke away, I stepped closer to him, needing to feel his presence near me. He flashed me a smile full of absolute happiness and slid his arm around my waist.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill?" a voice said from behind us. "Dr. Jackson?"  
  
Jack and I turned and saw General Hammond standing in the middle of the gateroom looking confused and amazed. "You're dead!"  
  
I saw Jack look at him with an expression filled with pain and a sense of grief. "We were in a sense." He said. "We..." he broke off. "It's a long story."  
  
"Teal'c!" Daniel called joyfully as he finally broke away from Janet.  
  
I smiled as I saw him grab Teal'c into a large and boisterous hug. "I...I saw you..." he trailed off. "Man, it's just so good to see you again!"  
  
General Hammond looked between Jack and Daniel. "You're alive." He whispered. "You're really alive."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Jack said. "We're definitely alive."  
  
He looked up at Jack. "So what happened? Teal'c and Major Carter saw you die over two years ago! Where have you been?"  
  
Jack's expression turned serious. "To you, we did. We died." He paused for a second, as I felt the shock of his words sink through my giddy brain.  
  
If he had died over two years ago like I had believed for so long, then how was he here?  
  
"And to us, it was you that was dead." Jack continued. He turned to me. "I saw you die as I held you in my arms. I saw the light fade from you eyes and couldn't do anything to stop it."  
  
I felt the tears well up in my eyes as his words brought back my memory of his death – as I saw him die as I held him in my arms and couldn't do anything to stop it. "Then how..?" I began.  
  
"Like I said, it's a long story." He said. "But a story you need to hear."  
  
"And a story we need to tell." Daniel added.  
  
"Then let's hear it." General Hammond said. 


	26. Part Twenty Six

JACK:  
  
I looked around me at the familiar faces around me that I thought I would never see again. General Hammond, Janet, Teal'c, Sam... My arms tightened almost unintentionally around her waist, where she sat in my lap. It seemed Sam didn't ever want to let go of me. And I can't say I had a problem with that. I didn't want to let go of her either.  
  
Daniel sat opposite me with his arms around Janet. The look in his eyes was both joyous and possessive. I would bet that he wouldn't be letting go of her anytime soon. Mia was sitting next to Daniel and was looking curiously at Teal'c – but then she hadn't met him before. Teal'c, sitting opposite her on my right, was looking at her just as curiously. Behind me, I could hear Riley snarling and pacing. I smiled softly. Riley had never had much patience. But then, I could blame her. Her husband was out there somewhere – and he was alive.  
  
I shifted my gaze back to General Hammond, who was standing with his back to us, looking out the window at the stargate below. We were all in the debriefing room, but no one had spoken in about five minutes. And I had no idea where to begin. How did you explain where you had been to people who had believed you were dead?  
  
Suddenly, the General let out a deep sigh. "Colonel," he said, as he turned to look at me with haunted eyes. "You were dead. Major Carter, Teal'c and Doctor Fraiser all told me they saw you die." He paused for a moment, his eyes still boring into mine. "So how are you still alive?"  
  
"Well, as you know, I'm no scientist, sir." I said and saw Danny smile out the corner of my eye. "But I'll try and explain this as best as I can."  
  
Hammond nodded at me. "Do you remember the events leading up to our deaths?" I asked everyone. "The Eye of Ra?"  
  
"Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c replied. "We were trying to retrieve it for the Tok'ra."  
  
"Yeah, well, it went off inside the mothership."  
  
"I remember the flash." Janet said. Then her eyes turned sad. "I don't remember much afterwards, though."  
  
I nodded. She wouldn't have. It was soon after that, that they had died – or to them, when we had died. "That's where everything goes, well, wrong." I said. "Somehow, and I don't know how exactly, the Eye of Ra managed to split our reality."  
  
"Split our reality?" Sam turned in my arms, her eyes wide and almost disbelieving.  
  
"Stranger things have happened." Janet said.  
  
"And how did you find this out?" General Hammond asked quietly, like he couldn't quite believe it all.  
  
So I told them everything. How Sam, Teal'c and Janet had died. How General Hammond had gone missing. The two years afterward filled with pain and black despair. I told them all about what we had become. And then I told them the amazing story of the friends we had made and the hope we had found.  
  
Throughout my story, Sam, Janet and General Hammond had listened with looks of wonderment on their faces. Every now and then, Daniel and Riley had broken in to add things. And I had let them. It was as just as much their story as it was mine.  
  
When I finally finished, everyone sat in silence for a long moment. I was amazed to see tears in Sam's eyes. I reached out a hand to cup her cheek. "I love you, Jack." She whispered softly.  
  
"I love you, too." I whispered back.  
  
"I would have liked to meet these people." Teal'c said.  
  
"You would have like them." Daniel told him.  
  
There was another moment of silence. I don't think anyone knew what to say. It was all quite a shock. The General looked at me and gave me a small smile. "That's one hell of a story, Colonel." He said.  
  
"That it is, sir." I agreed.  
  
I looked around me at those familiar and dear faces, and I couldn't keep the grin off my face. They were all alive! My heart felt so free. I caught Daniel's answering grin, as well as Janet's smile and General Hammond's look of amazement. "Damn, it's good to be back, sir." I said.  
  
"Definitely." Daniel agreed.  
  
Riley cleared her throat from my left, where she had sat down during the story. "I hate to interrupt everyone, but..." she trailed off, anxiety clear in her eyes. "Sir," she began again in a firmer voice. "With your permission, I would like to go and find my husband."  
  
"Of course." The General said, almost distractedly. Then he glanced at her. "Wait a moment."  
  
He leant forward and pressed the intercom. "Sergeant Davis, find Major Riley and tell him I want to see him."  
  
"Yes, sir." Davis' voice replied.  
  
As far as I knew, Riley's husband was an engineer with the army and therefore the usual rules of fraternization hadn't applied. I smiled as I saw her eager face.  
  
"I, too, would like to return home." Mia said.  
  
The General nodded. "I'll make the arrangements." He said.  
  
"Thank you." Mia replied.  
  
A few minutes later there was a respectful knock at the door. "Enter." Hammond called.  
  
"Sir?" asked a male voice. "You wanted to see me?"  
  
A tall, blonde haired man entered the room. He looked more like a drill sergeant than an engineer, with his broad shoulders and rigid posture, but I could see the intelligent gleam in his grey eyes.  
  
"Brian..?" Riley said breathlessly. "Brian!"  
  
The look of absolute shock on his face brought an amused smile to my lips. I watched the joy blossom in his eyes. "Jo?" he whispered, now oblivious to everyone else in the room.  
  
Riley threw herself into his arms, making him stagger back a step or two. "Jo!" he said. "It's really you!"  
  
"Yes, it is." Riley said, kissing him soundly.  
  
When she finally came up for air, she let out what I can only call a carefree laugh. Her eyes sparkled with joy and she almost danced around the room. I felt Sam turn in my arms. She gave me an amused smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were enjoying all this romance."  
  
"Who, me?" I asked innocently.  
  
"Yes, you."  
  
I smiled down at her, watching her beautiful blue eyes sparkle with joy and happiness. Her face glowed with it. "What can I say?" I said. "I'm just a hopeless old romantic."  
  
"But you're _my_ hopeless old romantic." She replied and kissed me softly.  
  
The next few days were rather chaotic, but they passed in a relative haze for me. I was too busy enjoying my newfound happiness. It turned out there were a few more people than we had originally thought, who had woken up in a changed reality – and, as a result, plenty more joyous reunions.  
  
Mia returned to her home planet to find her family and friends alive. But she surprised us by returning to the SGC after a few days and requesting permission to join a team and our fight against the Goa'uld. The General gratefully accepted and told her to spend the next month with her family.  
  
General Hammond gave Riley her own team with Mia as one of her team members. Lieutenant-Colonel Riley was now the leader of SG-2. I thought it was rather appropriate and she seemed rather happy with the whole arrangement.  
  
Danny surprised us all by proposing to Janet in the middle of the mess hall a day after we returned. I think Janet's exact reply was, "Hell, yes!", but I'm not entirely sure. The marines were all yelling loudly at the time.  
  
The SGC soon fell back into a regular pattern as everyone got back to our exploration of the universe, but as always, the peace didn't last that long.  
  
The Tok'ra came to visit us three days later. I seemed, to everyone else, Jacob Carter had died. This, of course, led to a long and tearful reunion with his daughter. He sought me out afterwards, trying to find out what had happened. I told him the whole story.  
  
"I'm happy for you." Jacob said. "You've come back to life."  
  
"Yeah, I have." I agreed.  
  
"Take good care of my daughter, Jack." He said. "I don't want to loose her again."  
  
"Neither do I."  
  
The days flew by, and I treasured each one. It was finally decided that Sam would remain a member of SG-1. It seemed the President was moved by our story and didn't think we should be separated again. I didn't argue. Neither did Sam. Everyone around me seemed to be happy and I revelled in it. Everyone at the SGC deserved a whole lot more happiness in their lives. They'd earned it.  
  
And as for me? I was perfectly content. Daniel was happy, Teal'c was happy, Sam was by my side...everything was as it should be. I gazed up at the stars and let my thoughts drift to Voyager and her crew. I had no doubt they would all get home. They were all determined and brave enough. People like that always won, because they never gave up. Besides, their Captain was a stubborn woman.  
  
"Jack?" Sam's voice called, breaking into my thoughts.  
  
"Up here." I called back.  
  
I heard her scramble up onto the roof to join me. "What are you doing up here?"  
  
"Just looking at the stars." Sam slid into my arms, where she belonged. "And thinking of friends."  
  
"Do you think they'll make it home?" she asked.  
  
"Without a doubt."  
  
"That's good." She snuggled closer. "I'm very grateful to them. They brought you back to me."  
  
"Yeah, they did." I replied. "And I'm not going anywhere."  
  
And I wasn't. I was home, where I belonged. My world, once filled with soul deep grief and dark despair, was now filled with hope and love. I sent a final thank you to the stars and followed Sam back inside.  
  
THE END

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Author's Note: There, it's finally finished. I tried to tie up all the loose ends. So, what did you think? Reviews most welcome. Cheeky. 


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